Future History
by Bushy Squirrel
Summary: "You know why." Tim glanced at Abby before returning his attention to Dimitri. "Not my type. I prefer the black haired ones." - AU. Rated M for language, themes, and violence.
1. Surprise Visit

**A/N:** This is actually a story I started _before_ Nomenclature and Apparitions, but I wrote this first chapter out long hand instead of typing it like I did with the others. And since typing up a chapter already written is tedious work I kinda let myself put it off for a while. Finally worked up the nerve to force myself to type it so I could share it with you guys! I hope you enjoy it.

For those of you interested, I have created a Tumblr for fanfiction where I will be posting not only the chapters of my stories that you all can read here, but also 'extended cut' chapters that include scenes I am unable to include on this website and 'deleted scenes'. This is my way to accommodate both this website's rules and the demands of my readers. The information for the Tumblr will be included on my profile.

* * *

A marine stepped off the elevator with a small smile of anticipation as his escort lead him to the Bull Pen.

"Here you go, Gunnery Sergeant." The escort's declaration gained the attention of the three team members sitting at their desks.

"Thank you, sir." The Gunnery Sergeant replied as he adjusted the strap of his duffel. The escort nodded in acknowledgment before turning and leaving.

"Can I help you, Gunnery Sergeant?" The man turned to the waiting face of Tony DiNozzo, glancing briefly in the directions of Ziva David and Jethro Gibbs.

"This is the MCRT work area, correct?" Tony exchanged a look with Ziva.

"Yes, it is."

"Then I don't need any help. I'm exactly where I need to be." The duffel dropped to the floor as the man shrugged the strap off his shoulder. "I'm here to see Special Agent Timothy McGee."

"He is down with our Forensic Scientist. I can call and let him know you are." Ziva offered.

"Oh, don't do that." The man insisted. "He doesn't know about me coming here. I want it to be a surprise. It's why I didn't tell him I was coming home early."

"You just got back state side?" Tony asked rhetorically. "Congrats. I bet you're glad to be back home."

"Very much, sir." The man grinned. "I missed being home. And if I'm lucky, I get to stay here."

"Well, I hope you get that. You certainly deserve it." Gibbs spoke up. The mystery guest's smile grew as he nodded in agreement.

"McGee never told us he was friends with a marine." Tony began, trailing off.

"We were roommates at MIT. When he went on to Johns Hopkins, I joined the Corps."

"Sense of patriotic duty?" Ziva inquired.

"In a way." The man admitted. "Like Tim, I come from a military family. I merely decided to keep up the family tradition, like my brothers."

"How very loyal of you." Tony continued. "I'm Special Agent Tony DiNozzo, she's Special Agent Ziva David, and our boss over there is Special Agent Jethro Gibbs."

"Gunnery Sergeant Dimitri Petroviak. It's a pleasure to finally meet you all. Tim has told me a lot about you. Made for some interesting letters and emails." Irritated expressions appeared on Tony and Ziva's faces at the thought of McGee talking about them without their knowledge.

"Petroviak. Any relation to the Senator?" Gibbs asked, recognizing the name.

"He's my father." Dimitri confirmed. "I try not to let people find out about that, if I can prevent it. Keeps them from automatically thinking I was born with a silver spoon in my mouth."

"I can relate to that." Tony muttered under his breath, gaining Dimitri's attention.

"So..._you_ are Tony." The man in question froze at Dimitri's slightly accusatory tone, thinking over every prank he had ever played on McGee.

"Yes." Came the hesitant answer.

"The McNicknames stop, got it?"

"Yep, sure, no problem." Tony couldn't get out fast enough. Dimitri held his hard look for a few seconds before dropping it and smiling, showing Tony he wasn't being too serious.

"Great. I laid claim to getting to call Tim those our first year at MIT and, as all my exes will tell you, I'm a jealous and territorial man." Ziva snickered at Tony's embarrassed discomfort. She opened her mouth to say something but closed it when she heard the ding of the back elevator opening.

"Gibbs, it's exceedingly boring today! Why is it so boring?" Abby called out before she was in view.

"Sorry, Boss. I could only entertain her for so long before she lost interest." Tim explained with a laugh.

"McPet!" Dimitri declared loudly in the same moment that Tim and Abby noticed that there was a visitor. It took Tim's brain half a second to register what he heard and who he was looking at.

"Dimitri!" Tim shot across the Bull Pen faster than his coworkers realized he could move, nearly tackling the black haired man with a hug that put Abby's to shame. Dimitri laughed as he braced them against falling and hugged Tim back.

"I'm happy to see you, too, Tim." Dimitri said through a chuckle.

"You're home." Tim pulled away to state the obvious. "Why didn't you tell me you were coming home? I would have asked for off. I could have come and picked you up at the airport."

"I wanted it to be a surprise. I didn't even tell the girls I was coming home." As Dimitri explained himself, Tim eyed the bag on the floor.

"You came straight here."

"Well, yeah." A semi-frown appeared on Tim's face.

"Why didn't you go see Deidre and and Tabitha first? They're your daughters." Dimitri gave Tim a look that said his reason for doing that should be obvious.

"Hey, McGee." Abby interrupted at the first chance she got. "Are we gonna get an introduction any time this century?"

Tim spun around to look at her as he finally remembered that he was at work, his coworkers could see and hear everything, and went slightly pink in the face.

"Uhhh...Dimitri, these are my coworkers Tony, Ziva, Gibbs, and Abby. I know I've told you a lot about them. Everyone, this is Dimitri Petroviak. He's my roommate from MIT." Dimitri smiled at Abby in greeting as Tim formally introduced him.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, ma'am. The others and I have already made our introductions."

"McGee hasn't told me a single thing about you." Abby replied with a semi-pout, prompting an eye roll from Tim.

"I'm quickly learning that he doesn't talk about me much." Dimitri answered with a solemn nod. "Why the secrecy, Tim? Are you ashamed of me or something?"

"No, I'm not." Tim insisted with a sigh he normally reserved for Tony when the Senior Agent was acting like a child. "But there are some people I wouldn't trust you to be alone with. Particularly Tony."

"Hey! I resent that." Tony objected. Gibbs shook his head and returned to his work, tolerating the scene for now. As Abby had pointed out, the team didn't have much to do at the moment.

"You wound me, Tim." Dimitri put a hand over his heart. "I thought I was a very trustworthy person."

"Not with these people." Tim shot back.

"Why did you call him 'McPet'?" Ziva asked, diverting the banter. Tim froze in horror, the blood draining from his face before rushing back to make it a deep red. His eyes thinned out in a murderous glare while Dimitri grinned at him evilly, clearly enjoying the dark blush on his face.

"Now, Miss Ziva, _that_ would be a prime example of why Timothy here doesn't trust me with any of you."

"Dimitri Nikolai Petroviak, don't you _dare_." Tim hissed.

"Oooo! Now I really want to know." Tony exclaimed, moving to the edge of his seat. Glacing at Tony briefly, Tim held his glare on Dimitri before the man hung his head in defeat.

"_Fine_." He conceded with a pout. "I won't tell them anything. But I reserve the right to try and embarrass you as much as possible with information they already know about you."

"Good luck with that."

"I accept that challenge." Dimitri muttered, zoning in on an amused looking Abby. "So, Miss Abby, Tim has told me you two dated briefly."

"Goddamnit, Dimitri..." Tim turned to go sit at his desk. Abby nodded slightly before answering.

"Yes. Before he transferred here from Norfolk. You know, now that I think about it, that was a while ago. I'm just happy we remained so close. I guess that most of that is Tim. He's such a nice guy. I'm not as close with other guys I've dated as I am with Tim. He really is just as loyal and cuddly as a puppy!"

Tim groaned loudly, letting his head fall to his desk with a thunk. Dimitri shook with silent laughter as he struggled to keep track of what Abby was saying in high speed. Tony and Ziva weren't quite as nice, laughing out loud.

"That he is." Dimitri agreed with a smirk. "Tell me, does Tim still have the 'Mom' tattoo on his ass?"

"Dimitri!" Tim lifted his head to look at the marine in shock, his teammates going silent with wide eyes. They had not expected that.

"...yeah. How did you...?" Abby managed to get out.

"Let's just say I had a lot of fun getting Tim drunk on his 21st birthday. Guy can, surprisingly, hold his liquor. It took me a while to get him drunk enough to agree to nearly anything."

"Yeah. Some friend you were." Tim snapped, trying to ignore the look Tony was giving him. "I had a hard time explaining to my teachers the next day why I couldn't sit properly."

"Pish posh. It was a right of passage, Tim." Tim did a double take, shaking his head.

"Did you seriously just use the phrase 'pish posh'?"

"Yes. Silver spoon and all." Dimitri returned sarcastically. "It's hard for me to hide my 'better than thou' upbringing."

"Why did Kate marry you again?" A scruched up look appeared on Tim's face.

"I got her pregnant. It didn't last long, though, remember? Only a year and a half." Tim nodded before pausing, a smirk growing on his face.

"Guess you marines just can't handle being married to a red-head." He retorted. It pulled a laugh out of Dimitri while Tony, Ziva, and Abby openly gaped at him having the guts to say that in front of Gibbs. Gibbs, meanwhile, paused in his work and waited for Dimitri's response.

"To tame a red-head would be man's greatest achievement, Tim. And I, unfortunately, am apparently not man enough to do it. You, on the other hand, had her sister wrapped around your little finger. Why didn't you go for it?" Gibbs nodded in agreement to Dimitri's comment as he went back to work. Tim let out a heavy sigh.

"You know why." Tim glanced at Abby before returning his attention to Dimitri. "Not my type. I prefer the black haired ones."

"True! Cindy Belaford dyed her hair black to try and get you into bed, didn't she?" Tony's eyes grew wider as he absorbed every little detail the two men in front of him were revealing about McGee.

"Pity her _boyfriend_ wasn't all that into her doing that." Tim leaned back in his chair, finally relaxing. He caught Tony's expression in the corner of his eye. "Now that we've nearly sent Tony into a fit, have you gotten everything you wanted out of your surprise visit?"

The three eavesdroppers were openly disappointed that Tim was cutting Dimitri's visit short.

"Yep! Saw you, let you know that I'm home now, and finally got the meet the people you've told me so much about. I think that's everything. Unless you want to banter some more and reveal more details about yourself." Tim snorted but chose to ignore that last pot shot.

"How did you get here and where are you staying? Need a ride?" Dimitri shook his head as he picked his bag back up.

"My rental is out in the parking lot. I only brought my bag in because I have some paperwork that I can't be separated from at the moment."

"Alright." Tim stood up and pulled Dimitri into another hug, only not as enthusiastic as before. "You know my address, you know my cell number, you know my email. Let me know when you want to escape your family's clutches. I'll come rescue you."

"You show up at the estate, Tim, and my mother will never let you leave." Tim let out a chuckle.

"Probably, but I'll take that risk. Your brothers will help me escape."

"Or they'll tie you down to keep you there. I swear they prefer you over me, sometimes." Tim gave Dimitri an innocent smile, staying silent. Dimitri scoffed at it. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. Don't push it, Moth Boy. I'm still around all-too-willing ears."

"Play dirty, Dimitri, and I'll bring you down with me. And ultimately my blackmail is more embarrassing." Dimitri hissed at Tim's statement, frowning.

"I hate it when you're right. Alright, I better get going if I want to get to the estate before my parents get home from doing whatever it is they're doing today."

"Give your mom a hug for me!" Tim gave Dimitri one last pat on the shoulder before his friend nodded farewell to them all and headed to the elevators. As soon as the doors closed Tim started to count to ten. He made it to two when Tony, Ziva, and Abby all turned on him.

"McGee!" Abby whined. "How come you never told any of us that you were friends with a marine?"

"You got your tattoo before we even met you?" Tony exclaimed, sounding scandalized.

"Why did he call you 'McPet'?" Ziva asked again with an expectant look on her face. Tim looked at all three of them in turn. A smirk formed on his face as he made his decision to turn to Gibbs.

"Sorry about the marine comment, Boss. You gotta go for the throat when bickering with Dimitri otherwise you won't survive it."

"It's fine, McGee." Gibbs never looked up. "Your friend's come back made up for it."

Happy he wasn't in trouble, Tim sat back down at his desk. The others continued to stare at him, wanting answers. It didn't take long for Tim to sigh in defeat.

"Abby, I have many friends you guys don't know about. Most of them are from school. I have little reason to introduce you to many of them."

"And your tattoo?" Tony insisted.

"When I told you about it, Tony, you assumed I had gotten it recently and got it to impress Abby. I simply didn't correct you. Considering what I was like back then, are you really surprised by my choice?" Tony opened his mouth to reply but couldn't find a suitable response.

"McPet?" Ziva asked a third time with a patient look on her face. A slight blush appeared on Tim's face as he figured out a way to answer her.

"It's a combination of my and Dimitri's last name. During our second year at MIT, he moved out of the dorms to a house just off campus shortly after he split up with his wife. Small benefit of him coming from money. Anyway, he decided to drag me along with him because he didn't want to live alone and I was the only one of his friends who Kate, his ex, could stand. His choice of roommate played a major part in the custody arrangement for his daughters." Tim explained. "After a while, our friends started calling it the 'McPet Household' every time they came over because it looked nothing like the average home of two college students. Dimitri found the name hilarious and started calling me McPet because I'm the more...domestic of the two of us despite him being the one who got married and had kids first."

"Understandable. You do seem to exude feelings of welcome and understanding." Ziva conceded. Tim scrunched his face up at the description but remained silent. He wouldn't win that argument.

"And you couldn't just say that when your friend was still here?" Abby pointed out.

"Nope. Dimitri can be truly evil when he wants to be. Not to mention his lewdness can make even Tony blush when he gets going. I wasn't about to unleash that here. With my luck, the Director would have came down here in the middle of one of Dimitri's innuendos."

"He probably would have." Tony laughed at the thought of Vance walking in on someone making dirty jokes in the Bull Pen. He opened his mouth to poke fun at Tim's usual misfortunes with timing when Gibbs' phone rang. The team looked on in anticipation.

"Gear up. Body at Rock Creek Park." Taking advantage of the fact that the others couldn't ask any more questions at the moment, Tim rushed to collect his gear.


	2. Comparisons

**A/N:** Yay! Chapter Two.

I'm surprised to see people eager to read and review my newest story, even as they wait for me to update the others. I greatly appreciate the small following I've collected and I hope not to disappoint any of you.

* * *

"It certainly explains how you are able to tolerate Tony with so little effort." Ziva commented randomly. Tim looked up from his desk, pushing his lamp aside slightly to get a clear view of Ziva. The two of them were the only ones in the Bull Pen.

"Excuse me?" Tim asked in confusion. He probably should know what Ziva was talking about right away, but it was well after sundown and they'd been having a difficult time with their latest lead on the case.

"Your friend. The one who visited this morning."

"Dimitri?" Ziva nodded in confirmation.

"Yes. He may not have been here long enough for the others to see it, but it seemed clear to me that he and Tony have similar personalities. It explains how you are able to deal with Tony so easily. You are, as the saying goes, inoculated against him." Tim bit his lip to keep himself from smiling. He'd be lying if he said he hadn't had that very same thought before, but he wasn't going to openly admit it just yet.

"Well, he's not _only_ like Tony. Dimitri is a bit like me and Gibbs, too. He just didn't show it during his visit." Tim insisted.

"I will admit that it obviously takes more than one meeting to fully understand someone's personality, but your friend has definitely got to be more like Tony than you and Gibbs." Tim's inner investigator started waving a red flag.

"Ziva, why do you keep on saying that Dimitri and Tony are alike? I lived with one and I consider the other like an older brother. I _know_ they're alike." Tim gave Ziva what Tony and Abby called his McEyebrow. Ziva became a bit flustered, apparently unsure of how to word what she was really trying to say.

"It's just...McGee, it seemed to me like your friend was flirting with you all throughout his visit." Tim blinked a few times.

"I know he was." He replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world and turned his attention back to work. Ziva's eyes widened at Tim's carefree attitude about his friend's actions.

"McGee. He was _flirting_." Ziva said the word slowly, as if talking with a child.

"I _know_." Tim replied in kind, not taking his eyes off his computer screen.

"And you are ok with that?" That made Tim turn his attention back to Ziva with another McEyebrow. "That is not what I meant. I know you are open-minded when it comes to people's sexualities. But he is your friend and you two are clearly very close. I would be quite uncomfortable if you or Abby flirted with me in such a manner."

"But not Tony?" Tim couldn't help commenting. He raised his hands in surrender when the Israeli woman sent a glare his direction, letting out a chuckle as he eyed her office supplies. "Ok, wrong thing to ask."

"McGee, seriously." Ziva scolded him, sour look still on her face from his question. Tim sighed and paused for a few seconds before continuing.

"Ziva, the only reason I'm telling you this is because Don't Ask Don't Tell was repealed. Dimitri is bisexual. He flirts with _everyone_, regardless of their gender. I would be more worried if he _didn't_ flirt because then that means something's wrong. He won't flirt if he's angry or doesn't like you. And since I know he likes me, a lack of flirting would have only meant the other. I wouldn't have been so willing to introduce him to you all if he had been mad at me for some reason. His anger can be very...Gibbs-esque."

"So you gauge his mood by how much he flirts with you?" Ziva questioned in a disbelieving tone. Tim shrugged.

"I'm not the only one. Our entire group of friends at MIT did it as well. And, if my assumption is correct, his ex-wife still does it, too."

"He flirts with his ex-wife? By how Tony goes on about them, that doesn't sound like normal behavior between exes." Tim laughed with a shake of his head.

"Dimitri and Kate's divorce wasn't a bad one. They realized that getting married simply because Kate got pregnant was a foolish decision and split up. They may joke about going after each other's throats all the time but they don't really mean it. They interact a lot like Tony and Abby do."

"So much comparison. It's making my head hurt." Ziva muttered, pulling a laugh out of Tim.

"You started it."

"That is not the point." Ziva shot back. Tim conceded to the meaning of Ziva's complaint.

"Ok, yeah. I get what you're saying. I'm making a lot of comparisons to get you to see that Dimitri's not _only_ like Tony. I'll have to figure out a different way to explain his various personality quirks."

"Or you could just start bringing him to team nights and let us learn for ourselves." Ziva suddenly offered with a too-innocent expression on her face. That red flag went flying again in Tim's mind but it was a redundancy. He knew that expression, even if he last saw it on a different face.

"How long did Abby rant earlier when you dropped off our evidence?" Tim asked bluntly.

"She went on about your friend for some time." Ziva admitted with a slightly sheepish look. "When I had to return up here to work, she simply turned her ramblings to Bert."

"That sounds about right." Tim tapped a button on his keyboard, simultaneously punctuating his comment and continuing a computer search.

"But will you? Start bringing your friend around, I mean?" Tim thought over Ziva's question. It was something he would definitely have to consider, now that they all were formally introduced. Dimitri would push for it, as well, if only to weasel his way into getting embarrassing stories out of everyone. Another personality trait he, unfortunately, shared with Tony.

"I'll speak with Dimitri about it." Tim replied. "I don't know how quickly he wants to jump back into the social scene. He may want to spend some one-on-one time with his daughters before returning to his usual habits."

"Quite understandable." Ziva smiled at Tim's surrender to her and Abby's request, the tone of the conversation taking a turn towards 'finished' as she returned to work. Shaking his head in amusement at his friends' antics, Tim turned back to his own computer to do some more lead hunting. They all would quickly learn that Dimitri was more of a hellion than his actions during his visit let on. Tim would simply let himself 'forget' to warn them all about it.

* * *

"Abby, I already told Ziva yes." Tim called out before as he approached his apartment door. Needless to say, he was shocked to open it and not see the Goth. "Tony?"

"What did the evil twins ask of you?" The Italian man asked as he walked past Tim into the apartment carrying two large pizzas and a six pack of bottled soda, which explained why he didn't pick the lock to get in. Tim simply closed the door and locked it again. He accepted long ago that he wasn't going to win an argument about nightly plans if his gregarious partner came bearing gifts.

"They want me to ask Dimitri to come to a few team nights." Tim explained, watching Tony go through the motions of pulling out plates and glasses. That was the agreement they silently came to in the past few years. If Tony was going to bring over pizza and soda, they were going to use plates and glasses. Tony was originally appalled by the mere idea of using plates to eat pizza but he conceded after the first few visits when Tim refused to eat out of the box.

"They were quick." A carbonated hiss filled the air as Tony opened the first bottle of soda, splitting the tall bottle between the two glasses he pulled out.

"I'm not surprised." Tim admitted. He pulled two stools from their place against the wall and set them on either side of the counter that divided his kitchen from his primary work area. "After Dimitri's little show, I had expected at least one of you to demand to see more of him."

"Can you blame us, McGee? Out of everyone on the team, you're the one who's most secretive about his past. It took us meeting Sarah to learn a few basic things that the rest of us, even Gibbs, shared freely." Tim had the grace to look slightly embarrassed. It wasn't that he did it purposely. The team just never had that many cases that would cause him to share details about himself. Instead of responding to the jab, though, Tim opened the first pizza box and plated two slices for each of them.

"Obviously Abby and Ziva beat you to the punch, making your original intentions for coming here pointless. Was there something else you wanted to talk about?" Tony nodded around a mouthful of Meat Lovers, taking a drink to clear his throat after swallowing.

"I got a whole Abby lecture earlier about how your friend and I are _so_ alike." Tim groaned, dropping the slice he was holding back onto his plate.

"Ziva and I covered that before she made her request. Please don't make me have that discussion again." He begged. Tony snorted, taking another bite.

"Just saying. I could see some similarities, but not to the extend Abby ranted about. Sure, we make a sport out of teasing you and creating McNicknames, which I'm apparently not allowed to use anymore, but that's it. Is there something I'm missing?" Of course Tony would ignore the pleading, but something he said made Tim look up at him in confusion.

"Huh? Since when aren't you allowed to use McNicknames anymore? That's, like, the primary way we interact at work."

"Dimitri said he laid claim to calling you those back in college. I wasn't entirely sure if he was joking when he told me to stop and I'm not that willing to find out."

"He was joking..." Tim assured Tony, pinching the bridge of his nose. One thing was for sure. Dimitri and Tony in a social situation was going to be interesting to see.

"Well, alright. But I'm blaming you if you turn into a McLiar and my ass gets kicked."

"That won't happen." Tim rolled his eyes.

"Anyway, I know you and he were roommates at MIT but your friend definitely doesn't seem like the type you would've hung out with. I got 'athlete' vibes off of him this morning." Tim let out a bark of a laugh at Tony's breakdown of Dimitri, getting a slightly confused look in return. Tim was suddenly glad neither Ziva or Abby were around.

"Dimitri was a football player at MIT. He claimed it was stress reducing, being able to actually tackle someone and not get in trouble for it. Which leads me to warn you not to be surprised if you hear Dimitri call me Beaver Boy."

"_Beaver Boy_?" Tony asked in skeptical tone. Tim nodded slowly, another slight blush appearing on his face.

"MIT's mascot is Tim the Beaver. I didn't _play_ any sports, so Dimitri and our other friends referred to me as their personal mascot since I would always attend their games in support. They started calling me Beaver Boy because of that. It's...a nickname that obvious stems from the minds of college students."

"Obviously." Tony replied with a hint of sarcasm, trying not to laugh out loud. "I look forward to you explaining that to the others when Dimitri eventually _does_ call you that."

Frowning, Tim picked a pepperoni off one of his slices and tossed it at Tony.


	3. Making Plans

**A/N:** Chapter Three is here! I'm starting to enjoy writing this story as much as I love writing 'Poison Ivy'.

I know it's been a while since I updated. Real life, unfortunately, has been hectic. But with today being my birthday, I am determined to get another chapter up! Apologies for this chapter being a bit shorter than the previous ones, but it's a lead in to the first Team Night that Dimitri will be attending.

* * *

Tim sat up with a start at the ringing of his cell phone. He glanced at his clock, noting that his alarm was set to go off in just under ten minutes as he reached for his cell. He answered it without looking at the caller ID.

"Hello?" He muttered sleepily. His free hand reached to turn off his alarm as he fell back onto his pillows.

"That offer of rescue still open?" Was the reply. No greeting, no announcing who it was, just the question. It took Tim's brain a few seconds longer than usual to register the question then recognize the voice of who was asking.

"Dimitri, please tell me you didn't wait all night to call me and ask that." A slight hesitation on the other end of the line told Tim his guess was right on the spot. "Thanks for being considerate and letting me sleep, but I would have been more than happy to come pick you up last night."

"No. I know your job is hectic. Sleep is a luxury. I waited because I figured now would be about the time you'd be getting up." Dimitri defended his choice. Sensing this conversation wasn't going to end quickly, Tim gave in to wakefulness and threw his sheet aside to get up.

"Good guess. My alarm was set to go off in ten minutes." Tim let out a yawn as he entered his kitchen and started to go through the motions of making a cold breakfast. "You didn't last a full 24 hours back home before calling for reinforcements. What happened?"

"Everyone was more than excited to see me. The girls both shrieked my and their mother's ears into uselessness for a few minutes. If Mom was their age, she probably would have done the same thing." Dimitri summarized everyone's reactions while not quite answering the question.

"But?" Tim pushed.

"I _completely_ forgot to take my parents' schedules into consideration. They're going to be holding at least one event a week here at the estate for the next month or so." Dimitri admitted in a weary tone.

"Oh." Tim was still half-asleep and therefore was too tired to full out laugh at the conundrum that Dimitri got himself into, but he was certainly laughing in his head. "And you don't want to be rubbing elbows with blood sucking politicians so soon after getting home."

"Fuck no! I love my father but I'll punch someone out if I get singled out in a discussion. I do _not_ want to be asked what my views are on anything right now. I need to get out of the manor before the next event."

"Understandable. Well, do you need me to come pick you up?" Tim let another yawn escape.

"No, you don't need to do that. Dad is having my car taken out of storage so I don't have to use a rental. I just...Tim, I know I'm imposing..."

"Dimitri, you're not imposing. You'd never be imposing. Never." Tim insisted. There was another silence, only one of consideration.

"Thanks, Timmy." Tim smiled at Dimitri's use of his most common nickname. It'd been a while since he had heard the man say it. Despite how much the man flirted with everyone, Dimitri was hesitant to use it. Tim had once pointed out that even their teachers at MIT had used it occasionally. Dimitri wouldn't budge.

"I know how you can repay me, if you view yourself a burden." Tim replied in a mischievous tone.

"Dear, god. What?" Dimitri let out with a groan.

"Come to a few team nights with me. The others, sans Gibbs, have all demanded it of me to bring you. You made quite the impression on them yesterday."

"Sure." Tim could tell Dimitri was trying to sound nonchalant about it. He knew better than that.

"I will be right there the entire time, so don't think you can interrogate them for stories." A muttered 'damn it' came through. Tim rolled his eyes as he settled onto a stool to start eating his cereal.

"Ok, I hear crunching. I'm hanging up now. I won't listen to you eating." Dimitri declared in a dramatic tone that made Tim wonder how long the man had been awake. Dimitri wasn't a morning person. "I'll text you later when I know which day I'm coming over."

Tim pulled his cell away from his head when the distinct click of Dimitri hanging up echoed into his ear, looking at it with an exasperated expression before setting it down to finish his breakfast.

* * *

"I'm calling tomorrow a team night." Abby declared randomly, when everyone was gathered in her lab around noon. "This case is already driving you four to the edge. Can't have you guys being pushed into full on craziness just yet."

"Some would argue too late, Abby." Tony joked, earning himself a head slap. Tim and Ziva exchanged amused looks, thinking that some of Tony's craziness probably came from his repeated head slaps.

"I know everyone is their own special kind of crazy, Tony. But even the crazy need to vent to keep themselves from being institutionalized." Abby pointed out. Tim moved himself out of Gibbs' range before speaking, knowing he'd most likely get the same treatment as Tony.

"I think I discovered my version of crazy when Gibbs asked me if I slept in the coffin." Tim commented. Abby laughed in remembrance of that incident and shook her head, not pausing in her work on her computer. Gibbs shot Tim a look, telling him a head slap would be happening in his future, but didn't move from his spot next to Abby.

"Is that enough time for you to speak with your friend, McGee, if we are having a team night tomorrow?" Ziva asked curiously. An excited expression appeared on Abby's face and she immediately turned around, giving Tim an expectant look. He looked back and forth between the two of them before letting out an eye roll.

"Yeah, I can get him to come tomorrow night." Tim yielded, staying quiet about his conversation with Dimitri that very morning where the man already said he'd come. "No promises he'll be able to come for the entire night, but I'm sure I can convince him to come for a few hours."

"Oh, you definitely have to, McGee!" Abby clapped rapidly before spinning back around on her heels to continue working. "He knew you _before_ you joined NCIS. We need to compare notes to see how much you've changed over the years!"

Tim groaned, leaning back against Abby's evidence table as his partners snickered at his misfortune. It reminded him why he never invited any of them to come with on a visit home. Tony and Abby were bad enough with Sarah. They'd interrogate his parents mercilessly, if given the chance.

"Just give in, McGee." Ziva suggested with a smothered smile. "Tony and Abby will not rest until they get what they want from your friend."

"It's not Tony and Abby I'm worried about." Tim shot back without thinking. When his own words registered in his head, he let out another groan and hung his head. Tony and Abby gave each other a mischievous look, clearly making mental notes to plan out their interrogation of Dimitri together. "Goddammit..."

"Clearly we know something about you that you don't want Petroviak to find out, _McPet_." Tony snickered. Tim shot Tony a glare, briefly wondering if he could get away with murder with so many witnesses, but a glance at an amused-looking Gibbs had him backtracking and turning back to Ziva.

"I'm beginning to regret introducing you guys to Dimitri." Tim quibbed.

"It had to happen eventually, considering how close you and he seem to be." Ziva replied. "As the saying goes, just go with the flow. Though I do not understand what this 'flow' is..."

Tim couldn't prevent chuckling at Ziva's confusion. Trust her stumbles with American slang and sayings to lighten up the mood. Letting out a sigh, Tim shook his head at the mischievous look Tony was still giving him.

"I'm not leave you and Dimitri alone together. That's final." The mischievous look disappeared into a frown that Tim ignored. He may be a door mat, in comparison to his coworkers, but he would dig in his heels on this with every ounce of McGee stubbornness he had. If he had to play babysitter then Tim was going to make it happen on his terms.


	4. Team Night

**A/N:** I hope I haven't made you guys wait _too_ long for this chapter. Things have been pretty hectic in real life.

My writing time will be cut short, soon, because I got accepted into college and classes start on the 28th! With my time being taken up by school and the job search, I may come up with a schedule so I don't leave any of my stories without an update for too long. Four stories aren't that easy to keep up with.

* * *

"So, tell me. How quickly did Miss Abby plan this after you told her I agreed to come to some of them?" Dimitri asked while fiddling with the various items Tim kept in his glove box. Tim rolled his eyes at Dimitri's actions, having long since accepted the fact that he couldn't expect privacy in certain places. The two of them were on their way to Gibbs' house after having stopped at a grocery store to pick up some requested provisions and a couple six packs.

"I didn't tell any of them about you waking me up via phone call yesterday, Dimitri. Abby planned this because our current case has been making us all feel a bit frayed." Tim stopped the line of questioning before it got off on a tangent. He saw that Dimitri was in a frisky mood the moment he picked the man up and knew that he'd have to be on guard the rest of the night.

"Aww... Withholding more information about me, are you?"

"You aren't going to guilt trip me. Nothing says I have to share every detail of every interaction with you now that you and the others have met."

"True." Dimitri admitted. He closed the glove box, losing interest in the items there and turned to face Tim. "How much longer 'til we get there, anyway? Where does your boss live, in the Boonies?"

Tim couldn't prevent a laugh from escaping and mentally added impatient to that description of frisky that he had labeled Dimitri with.

"We're just a few blocks away. Hold your horses."

"I know. I'm restless. I have a _lot_ of excess energy that I need to get rid of." Dimitri admitted, leaning back heavily in his seat. "I'd get rid of it by spending some time with the girls but they've got classes."

"I'm sure Deidre and Tabitha would _find_ time to spend with you if you asked, Dimitri. They've got a full schedule, sure, but they haven't had the chance to spend time with you in a while. I can see them canceling plans with friends to make some with you." Tim pointed out. He knew the girls well enough to be sure of what they would do.

"I know, Tim. But you remember what school was like. I'll let _them_ make the plans, not make them myself and expect the girls to accommodate them without issue." Tim nodded in recognition of what Dimitri was trying to say. The both of them absolutely hated it, back when they were at MIT, when others would make plans and expect either or both of them to magically have time to attend.

Tim went through the motions of parking his Porsche next to the curb as they finally arrived at Gibbs' house, putting it right behind Ziva's toy of a car.

"We're here, now stop asking." Tim chuckled as Dimitri rolled his eyes before they both got out and collected the groceries from the trunk. The front door opened up before they got to the porch, a blur of black rushing out.

"McGee! You convinced your friend to come!" Abby squealed, coming to a stop in front of them and clapping in excitement. A snort managed to escape from Tim, while Dimitri looked at the hyper goth with a bemused expression.

"I told you I would get him to come tonight, Abby, now move so we can get inside." Tim didn't hesitate to bump into Abby to get her moving, forgoing simply walking around her to get inside.

"Pushy pushy..." Abby commented, sticking her tongue out. She began walking backwards and turned her attention from Tim to Dimitri. "You are going to have loads of fun. Team night is pretty much our version of a slumber party because we rarely actually _leave_ once it's over. Most of the time Gibbs makes us stay so we're not driving under the influence."

"Since it's a 'school night', we gotta be careful." Tim reminded her. "We risk hangovers at our own peril. Gibbs won't be merciful with us tomorrow morning."

"I know. I know. He'll expect perfection despite any headaches we may have." Abby quickly turned around before she could trip backwards onto the steps of the porch, hopping up them and into the house with just as much energy as she had leaving it.

"Is she always like this?" Dimitri asked, finally finding time to speak.

"Yeah. The guys in the mail room at the Yard call her Energizer Abby. We think she has an IV of CaffPow set up for when we're not looking." Tim explained. He closed the door behind Dimitri when they entered, kicking his shoes off out of habit. Dimitri mimicked Tim, not knowing what he should or shouldn't do yet.

"McGee! About time you got here. I was beginning to think you were going to leave me alone with the crazies." Tim rolled his eyes as Tony let out a yelp from the somehow unexpected head slap Gibbs gave him for his comment.

"And face Abby's wrath for not bringing Dimitri as promised? I think not." Tim made a face at Tony as he passed the man on his way to the kitchen to drop off the groceries he was carrying. Dimitri offered a smile instead of a face.

"So, Gunnery Sergeant Petroviak, what would you like us to call you?" Ziva asked from her seat at the kitchen table. "Gunny? Petroviak? Dimitri?"

"I answer to them all, Special Agent David. What would you like me to call _you?"_ Dimitri smirked, turning the question around on Ziva.

"Ziva is perfectly fine."

"Ziva it is. You know, I must say, the name suits you very well. You definitely brighten up whatever room you're in." Dimitri grinned from across the table. Tim groaned, mentally thanking god that he had already explained to Ziva that Dimitri flirted with everyone.

"Why thank you, Dimitri. My mother is the one who named me." Ziva offered her own smile, a mischievous glint twinkling in her eyes. Tim wondered why Ziva had any reason to feel mischievous until he caught the look on Tony's face. The Italian man looked none too happy with Dimitri's blatant flirting.

"Wow. You really _are_ like Tony." Tim barely held in a snort at Abby's declaration, Tony turning his irritated look from Dimitri to the goth. Tim really wanted to see where the banter would lead but knew he should step in before Dimitri said something to set Tony off.

"So, Abby, what are we doing tonight? You're the one who planned this."

"We've all been smothered by responsibilities the last few days. I feel that we deserve to be a bit childish." Abby started, sinking into the chair next to Ziva. Gibbs let out a heavy sigh. He recognized the expression on Abby's face. It was telling him that he wasn't going to get out of this very easily, if at all.

"What do you mean by 'childish'?" Tony asked, taking the bait. Tim mentally sighed in relief, kicking Dimitri in the back of the leg in warning as he sat down. Dimitri threw a glare in Tim's direction but got the message.

"I never ever." Those three simple words gained various reactions from the others. Gibbs and Ziva looked on with blank expressions, not understanding what Abby meant. Tony scrunched his face slightly in recognition but didn't comment. Tim, meanwhile, dropped his head onto the kitchen table with a thunk and a groan. He could just _feel_ the excitement flowing off Dimitri in waves. He didn't need to look at the man sitting next to him to know that a painfully wide grin was on Dimitri's face.

"_Awesome_ idea, Abby!" Dimitri moved to the edge of his chair. "How are we doing the shots? We going to use actual shot glasses or will we just be taking drinks from our bottles?"

"Wait, shots? This is a drinking game?" Ziva inquired for clarification.

"Yes." Abby provided for her. "In 'I never ever', you go around the table person by person. Each person says something they've never done. If any of the others _have_ done it, they have to take a drink. Considering our ranges of experiences, we won't set a limit. We'll just keep going 'til we get bored."

"Which is a pointless rule, since we'll find the game funnier and funnier the drunker we get." Tim pointed out.

"That's the point." Abby snickered. Tim rolled his eyes, saying no more. Dimitri suddenly shot up from his seat and walked over to the refrigerator to pull out a couple six packs. He set them in the middle of the kitchen table when he returned, pulling one out and handing it over to Tim before grabbing his own.

"Come on! Let's get this started. This is like 20 Questions, only better." Dimitri started tapping his fingers on the table in anticipation. Abby jumped up to grab beer for the rest of them, giving Gibbs a pouty look as she handed his over. The rebellious look that _had_ been on Gibbs' face melted away into submission, just one of many events that proved that Abby had the older man wrapped around her little finger.

"Let's start easy. Ziva, you go first." Abby turned to the Israeli with a smile.

"Ok. So I simply say something I have not done?" Ziva asked rhetorically. Sensing lots of drinks in their future, Tony got up to collect a few bags of snacks and immediately opened a bag of pretzels. "Alright. I have never planned a prank on McGee."

Tim pinched the bridge of his nose as Abby, Tony, and Dimitri all took drinks. Not the note he wanted the game to start on. Unfortunately, though, they were going clockwise in their turns and Tony was next. Dimitri followed. He'd bet his monthly salary that the next two things would also be about him.

"I never ever..._kissed_ McGee." Blood rushed to Tim's face as the question registered in his head. Tony gave Abby a mischievous look as she took her drink, nearly missing Ziva and Dimitri taking their own drinks. Tony's jaw dropped as he looked back and forth between the two of them, not knowing which one to focus on.

"College. Alcohol. That's _all _you are going to get, Tony." Tim snapped when it looked like Tony was going to focus on Dimitri. Tony gave Tim an obstinate look and started to open his mouth to speak, but shut it when Tim glared. Tony's obvious disappointment grew when Dimitri snickered and gave him a smirk. Barely holding back a pout, Tony turned his attention to Ziva.

"When on earth did _you_ kiss McGee?"

"To save him from being flirted with by a rather unsavory looking woman." Ziva explained, not looking the least bit embarrassed. "She had him cornered. I pretended to be his girlfriend to get her to leave. I would do the very same for you and Gibbs. Well...Gibbs. You, I would stand there and watch with great amusement."

"Women like that are the _worst_. They never learn when to stop." Abby rambled on, not batting an eyelash about the topic.

"Ok, my turn." Dimitri grinned evilly. Tim didn't know whether or not he should be happy the discussion was cut off. "I never ever arrested anyone."

Tim gladly took his drink with Gibbs, Tony, and Ziva. He'd take Dimitri purposely getting him drunk over having details shared. The others looked to him expectantly when he set his bottle down.

"I never ever..." Tim began, wondering what he could say that he knew at least one of the others had done. They had made him do so many things that he didn't have much to pick from. But then a sudden memory from his first year on the team flashed in his mind. "Blackmailed a teammate with a picture of themselves."

Tony glowered before taking his drink. Gibbs let a small smile escape while both Abby and Ziva gave Tony critical looks.

"What'd he do?" Dimitri poked Tim on the arm when it became clear to him that the man in question wasn't going to out himself.

"In my first year on the team, Ziva wasn't with us. We had a different partner. Caitlin Todd. Tony found a picture of her from a wet t-shirt contest while on vacation with buddies from college. Used it against her to keep her from sharing information she gained about him when she dated one of his frat brothers." Tim explained with a grin.

"Ooooo...sneaky. I assume you and he still have copies of said photo?" Dimitri asked, earning an elbow in the ribs from Tim.

"Behave." Tim warned. "I can get you drunk just as easily as you can get me drunk."

"No promises." Dimitri shot back, popping a pretzel into his mouth. Sighing, Tim turned to Gibbs and gave him a look, begging him to take his turn.

"I never got dressed up for Halloween as an adult." Gibbs knew exactly what to say to make everyone else at the table take a drink. It probably wasn't fair that they all would most likely be drinking every time Gibbs took a turn, but it was also highly likely that Abby planned it that way.

"My turn. What, oh what should I start with?" Abby looked over everyone slowly like a predator looking over their prey. She paused briefly on Dimitri, unsure of how she could get him to drink, before putting her focus on Ziva. "I never ever threatened coworkers with office supplies."

Ziva smirked as she lifted her beer bottle for a drink. Tim could barely hide his own as he drank, as well. Tony dropped his hands to the table in disbelief, throwing Tim a look that said 'explain'.

"Unlike you, Tony, I'm willing to threaten Ziva right back. It's a side effect of having a little sister."

"You seriously lack that much self preservation?" Tony scoffed lightly, leaning away from Ziva when she shot him a look.

"Sibling love, Tony. It's easier to understand when you get it at a younger age than an older one, like you did." Tim explained in the only way he knew how. He was scared of Ziva, just like Tony, but somewhere along the line his brain sectioned her off with Sarah. An older brother reaction just happened automatically sometimes. "Ziva and I come from multiple child families. It's easy for us to revert back to that mindset while arguing."

"That's still disturbing, on multiple levels, since you two basically admitted to incest already." Tony did a mock gag. Tim rolled his eyes at the reference to Ziva's kiss.

"Tony, we're not actually related. Our relationship is merely sibling _like_. No different than you and Abby, and I _know_ there have been occasions where you two saved each other from distasteful people." Tim shot back. Abby snickered, knowing Tony couldn't exactly argue against that. Tim and Ziva were close in the same way the two of them were. Dimitri bit his lip to keep himself from laughing out loud. "Ziva, take your next turn."

"Alright." Ziva chuckled. She slid her bottle back and forth between her hands on the table as she thought of something to say.

* * *

"You're so much like Tony!" Ziva giggled through a hiccup before taking a drink from her latest bottle of beer. Team Night had been going for some time now. Gibbs managed to sneak off to the basement after a few rounds of I Never Ever, when Abby was sufficiently buzzed enough to let him leave without comment. The others, though, were still going at it and were at various stages of intoxication. Tim managed to last the time with only a mild buzz and was glad that Gibbs would be allowing him to leave tonight after waiting out the alcohol. After all the Dimitri-Tony comparisons that had been going on, Tim didn't want to sleep in the same house as the two of them. "Movie quote for every occasion."

"I try." Dimitri smirked across the table, beer bottle cradled between his hands. "Had I known you were the only one who's totaled multiple cars, though, I would have picked something else. Come up with a better quote."

"Don't." Tim insisted. "I work with movie quotes. I don't want to deal with them in my off time."

"You can be such a dull party goer when you want to be, Timothy." Dimitri declared in a mock-posh tone. Tim raised an eyebrow at him with a chuckle before realizing that Dimitri was the most sober of the five of them, leaving his sense of sarcasm intact. Dimitri had clearly gained a better tolerance for alcohol since college. "Take your turn."

Tim stuck his tongue out impishly. If Dimitri was going to battle then Tim was going to declare war.

"I never ever knocked up my high school sweetheart." The other Gibblets chortled in great amusement as Dimitri took his drink, the shine of impending revenge in his eyes.

"I didn't know you even _had_ a high school sweetheart, McGee." Tony commented.

"That's a moot point." Tim returned. "I didn't get my non-existent sweetheart pregnant. That's all that matters in this specific situation."

"Semantics." Tony waved off Tim's explanation. Abby giggled hysterically at their banter, clearly the most smashed out of them all.

"My turn! I never ever..." Abby slumped sideways into Ziva, readjusting herself back into an upright position with a snort. "I never ever got a tattoo to impress anybody."

Tony waved his hand in excitement, pointing at Tim.

"Ha! Drink up, Mc_Mom_." Tim snorted, shaking his head slowly but leaving his beer bottle on the table. Dimitri gave him a curious look at the others' insistence that he had to drink.

"Why do they think you got a tattoo to impress someone? We established the other day that you only have the one."

"Because he _did_." Tony insisted, nearly tipping over his bear bottle.

"That's our cue to leave, Dimitri. They're drunk enough to be forgetting conversations." Tim stood up, ignoring the groans and pouts from the others. "They don't remember you outing me about my tattoo the other day."

"I'd say." Dimitri laughed, standing up as well. He glanced at his watch and sighed. "It's about 9:30. Think my parents' latest shindig will be over?"

"Maybe. Guys, stop pouting. We have work tomorrow. You three should be sleeping off all that alcohol you've drank." Tim switched between talking with Dimitri and scolding his drunk team mates. The three of them had already forgotten about the game and were complaining about Tim and Dimitri leaving.

"Fine. Abandon us. Take away our fun..." Abby whined. Tim rolled his eyes at her pitiful attempt at getting the two of them to stay. If Tim was fully drunk, not simply buzzed, he would have probably stayed because it was Abby asking. But duty called and he wanted to sober up before going to bed.

"That's exactly what we're doing. Abandoning you." Tim retorted, heading towards the basement door. "Boss, Dimitri and I are leaving!"

"Aren't you going to wait for him to answer?" Dimitri asked when Tim immediately walked away.

"He's not gonna answer." Tim explained, leading the way through the house back to the front door. He made a point to ignore the wailing of his coworkers, begging him to stay longer. "Gibbs is kind of a functional mute."

"How do you work for him if he doesn't speak?" Tim chuckled at the confused look on Dimitri's face.

"You learn to anticipate what he wants you to do or you don't work for him. Believe me, it wasn't easy earning my place."

"I still don't get it, but whatever." Dimitri gave up. Tim rolled his eyes, tossing his car keys in Dimitri's direction. The Marine barely caught them in time to stop them from falling to the floor.

"You're sober. You get to drive." Tim bent down to tie his shoes back on, making quick work of it.

"Ooo...I get to drive a Porsche." Dimitri smiled, pulling an eye roll from Tim.

"Yeah, because you've never had the opportunity before with your father's cars."

"Just get moving." Dimitri snorted, prodding Tim through the front door after opening it. "It's nearing your bed time and I need to pick up my car from your place."

"I'm moving. I'm moving." Tim shoved back with a laugh, stumbling down the steps that had suddenly appeared under him quicker than expected. He grabbed the railing with a yelp, turning slightly red as the air filled with Dimitri's laughter. Glaring at his friend, Tim snorted in dismissal and marched off towards his car.

* * *

Tim threw his used bath towel in his hamper, feeling a bit more clear headed after his shower. He was happy he waited a couple hours. Taking a shower while buzzed gave him the most terrible head ache. A sudden grumble from his stomach had Tim wandering into his kitchen to find something to quell the beast before bed. Tim knew he should probably eat something _healthy_, but laziness kicked in and he was soon microwaving a TV dinner. The few minutes it took to cook seemed like forever and Tim began gazing at his clock in a trance.

Knocking on his door snapped Tim out of it, making him wonder who would be coming to his apartment at nearly midnight. Leaving his microwave to finish its work, he headed to his door and looked through the peephole. Baffled at who he saw, Tim undid the chain lock and opened the door.

"Dimitri! It's nearly midnight. Did something happen?" Tim backed up slightly as Dimitri stepped forward. Dimitri's face was the most serious Tim had ever seen it, making him worried.

"You could say that. It's taken me the last couple hours to stop arguing with myself about this." Dimitri answered without actually giving any details.

"You're not making any sense." Tim declared, shaking his head in confusion. Dimitri tossed a DVD case at him, making Tim fumble for it.

"I'm sure." Dimitri closed the door behind him, not turning away.

"Brokeback Mountain?" Tim read the DVD cover with a scrunched up expression. "What does this have to do with anything?"

"I just spent most of the night being compared to DiNozzo. I figured you'd appreciate the reference." Dimitri alluded to his reason for coming so late.

"Reference?" Tim began, still not understanding what Dimitri was getting at. "I'm sorry. I guess I'm a bit out of it because it's late. What reference are you tal..."

The next thing Tim knew, Dimitri had grabbed him and brought him into a lip lock. Tim inhaled sharply through his nose in suprise, the DVD case clattering to the floor.

* * *

**A/N 2: **This chapter is an important one for various reasons. The plot twist I revealed in this chapter sets the stage for the rest of the story. Be forewarned, I will NOT tolerate any flames on the subject. I know we are all entitled to our own opinions, but if the only way you can express yours is to be rude and hurtful then I don't want to hear them. I will only respond to civility.

If you feel like you cannot read this story any longer because of the subjects I will be covering, then I hope you'll at least continue to read my other stories. They may be more to your liking.


	5. Clarifications

**A/N: **I was looking over my story stats last night and was shocked to see that 'Future History' has the highest review-to-chapter ratio of all my In-Progress stories. It has become clear to me that this is my reader favorite, along with 'Poison Ivy'. I'm ecstatic that you all are enjoying my work so much. It makes the effort worth it.

**Review Shout Out: **Warby, I do hope this chapter answers at least _some_ of your questions if it doesn't answer all of them.

* * *

Tim's eyes blinked open sleepily. He felt a serious sense of deja vu as he reached up towards his side table to grab his ringing cell phone, answering it without looking at the caller ID.

"McGee..." He yawned.

"_Don't bother with coming into work today, McGee._" Came Gibbs' gruff voice.

"Did the others drink themselves into helplessness after I left last night, Boss?" Was Tim's immediate question. He knew he should have confiscated the rest of the beer. Or at least hide it in the basement with Gibbs.

"_Suspect's lawyers filed every sort of injunction they could get their hands on. Papers were served this morning. We can't go anywhere near the evidence until Legal can get us the all clear._" Gibbs sounded pissed, and rightly so Tim had to admit. They were out of leads. They needed Abby to finish looking over the evidence to give them a direction and a pile of paperwork from their prime suspect's lawyers just separated the evidence from Abby. No wonder Gibbs was calling to tell him to stay home.

"No working on cold cases?" Tim felt like he had to ask.

"_Vance said to stay home._" Which translated to Tim that Vance had administration reasons for wanting Team Gibbs to take a day off and was taking advantage of the sudden lack of access to their evidence. Sometimes his ability to interpret whatever Gibbs said amazed Tim.

"Alright." Tim relented. He was going to ask when they _could_ return to work, but Gibbs had already hung up. Closing his cell phone, Tim tossed it back onto his side table and shut off his alarm clock.

Tim went to turn over, but was stopped by the arm on his waist that he was suddenly aware of. His half asleep mind, conditioned from routine, panicked momentarily at the sudden difference in his usual surroundings until the events of the previous night came blaring to the surface of his memory. _Dimitri_.

"I take it you're not going in to work today." The marine muttered half into the pillow he was resting on. Tim raised an eyebrow as he looked over his shoulder. _There_ was the morning-hating person he went to MIT with. Where was he the other day when he called?

"Nope. Lawyers are fighting back." Tim lifted Dimitri's arm off his waist and dropped it onto the bed, swinging his legs over so he could sit up. He wanted to fall back asleep, sure, but his bladder realized he was awake and decided now was the perfect time to cry for attention.

"I hate lawyers..." Dimitri grumbled, burying his face deeper into the pillow. Tim snorted, crossing his room to his bathroom. When he finished and came back out, he wasn't surprised to see that Dimitri hadn't moved.

"How is it possible that you are one of the laziest people I know?" Tim asked as he returned to his bed, sitting down against his head board.

"I'm just that talented." Dimitri shot back.

"Well, wake up. We didn't exactly finish our discussion last night. Now would be a perfect time to finish it." Dimitri groaned, sitting up.

"Working for Gibbs has made you _evil_."

"It's only 6 AM. You should be used to waking up this early." Tim pointed out with a smirk.

"Last time I checked, I was home and could wake up whenever the hell I want to." Dimitri pulled out a pout, trying to play the sympathy card with Tim. It wasn't working but he needed to try anyway.

"Dimi..." Tim sighed in exasperation. "You used my exhaustion against me last night to get out of this. I'm wide awake, now. We're finishing it."

"Ok, fine. Yes, this has been on my mind since that damn policy got repealed. All I have been able to think is that your reason for breaking up is no longer valid. Three years we were together, Tim, before we graduated and picked our career paths. Three _years_. You think I was going to push that off to the side just because I went military? You're the one who wanted to break up because of Don't Ask, Don't Tell, not me." Dimitri was clearly up, now, and irritated.

"No. I didn't think you were going to do that." Tim defended himself. Dimitri's reaction was expected, so he didn't take offense. "But we're certainly not going to be able to take up where we left off. Things have changed. _We_ have changed. It's going to take some effort if we want to start again."

"You sound like you already have something in mind that may give us trouble."

"Ethan, for one. It's no secret he's borderline homophobic. Kate had to explain me away as an old friend from college just so he'd let me in the door."

"Tim, you _are_ an old friend from college." Dimitri reminded him.

"That's beside the point. She couldn't look at him and say 'Ethan, remember my ex-husband Dimitri? Well, here's the man I pushed him to be with after we got divorced'." Tim went on. "Kate may be our primary supporter, since she's the one who pushed you into action, but she doesn't shy away from the fact that Ethan wouldn't hesitate to ban us from their house if he found out about our history."

"Deidre and Tabitha are adults now, Tim. The only person Ethan can even _attempt_ to restrict our access to is Kate and you know how stubborn she can be. I say fuck him. What else are you worried about?" Tim frowned at Dimitri's dismissal of Ethan. The man could make their lives very difficult if he wanted to. But the determined look on Dimitri's face had Tim moving on.

"Just because Don't Ask, Don't Tell has been repealed doesn't mean people are going to act any different. Hell, I couldn't even tell you what my own coworkers think about homosexuality."

"We're Bisexual." Dimitri corrected him.

"Beside the point!" Tim repeated. "Other than Abby, who would probably ask if she could watch immediately after finding out, I have no idea how any of the others would react. I want to be back with you, Dimitri. I _want_ to. You have no idea how much I've missed you. But I don't want you thinking it'll be as easy as it was last time. We didn't know as many people back in college. We may very well lose friends this time."

Dimitri scooted up so he was leaning against the head board as well and threw his arm over Tim's shoulders. He smiled indulgently before leaning in to kiss Tim slowly.

"At the risk of sounding corny, I refer to a frequently repeated bit of knowledge. Those who mind don't matter and those that matter don't mind. I came here unexpectedly last night and I apologize because dumping all of this on you at once was unfair. But if you really want to get back together, Timmy, then you're gonna have to learn to have a bit of a 'fuck 'em' attitude. Everyone's reactions will be immediate. Their actions will be swift. Everything will happen quite quickly, but once it's all over we'll know which of our friends are worth having. At least we know our family will be with us."

"Fuck 'em attitude?" Tim asked with a scrunched up face, pulling a chuckle from Dimitri.

"You're too nice, Timmy. I admit that's one of your aspects that attracted me in the first place, but you're too willing to compromise. Put a few nails in that door mat so people know to tread lightly." Tim slouched into Dimitri and thought over everything that he said. Dimitri wasn't exactly denying they'd have problems with people. He was just adopting the mindset that those who had an issue weren't worth knowing, which was really just a blanket policy that could be applied to any problem Tim could think of.

"We're gonna have a few other issues, but they're more challenges on your part." Tim switched topics, turning his head to smirk at Dimitri.

"Oh, and what issues would those be?" Dimitri raised his eyebrows in bemusement.

"You're gonna have to work for dominance. I'm not giving it freely this time."

"I think I can take you." Dimitri snorted. "The Marines don't train wimps."

"I train to be able to take down Marines." Tim reminded him. "_And_ I get hand cuffs."

"Ooo...so I get to cuff you down before having my way with you? That is an awesome new option." Dimitri teased with a satisfied smirk. Tim thinned his eyes out, considering tackling Dimitri to show that he _could_ but decided against it. Dimitri had the upper ground by having his arm around Tim's shoulders. Picking the childish route, Tim turned away and crossed his arms. Laughing at the immaturity of his actions, Dimitri hugged Tim closer and rubbed his free hand on Tim's head to mess his hair up more than it already was. Grunting in defiance, Tim immediately changed his mind and moved to push Dimitri over so he could pin the man down. He regretted it a few moments later when Dimitri made easy work of turning the move around on him and had him pinned to the bed within seconds.

"Ok, that's not fair." Tim insisted, looking up at Dimitri's smirking face.

"I _told_ you I could take you. Why don't you ever listen?"

"Remember when I said you'd have to _work_ for dominance?" Tim did a halfhearted move in an attempt to get Dimitri off him, but admitted to himself that he didn't have a snowball's chance in hell in moving the man.

"If that's all I have to contend against then it won't be very hard work. I'll have you retrained in no time." Tim rolled his eyes, letting himself go limp. He wasn't moving until Dimitri said he could so there was no need to keep himself tense.

"You know, I still haven't figured it out." Tim said randomly, earning a confused look. "What reference were you trying to get across with the Brokeback Mountain DVD?"

"Seriously? Haven't you seen it?" Dimitri looked at Tim incredulously.

"Nope. Why? Should I have?" Dimitri let himself relax on top of Tim, head buried in the crook of Tim's neck as he burst out laughing. "Glad to know you find me so amusing. Now, come on. I know you only made a movie reference because you were irritated with being compared to Tony all evening. What was the reference?"

Dimitri lifted his head, snorts of laughter still managing to escape in his effort to maintain a straight face.

"There's a line in the movie that I felt was appropriate to mention, at the time. I assumed you had seen the movie and would know what I was talking about."

"What's the line?" Dimitri blushed slightly. The idea was a good one last night. He was using it on an exhausted Tim. It just seemed incredibly cheesy the next morning.

"I wish I knew how to quit you. I know. It's corny, even by my standards. But I was reacting more out of irritation than actual thinking when I chose to use that line."

"You know, you don't have to convince me that you are different from Tony." Tim assured Dimitri. "You're a new shiny toy for them to play with, so Abby and Ziva are only going to see the surface details. But I know you and I know Tony. You both may have come from money and you both may be movie buffs, but that's where the similarities end."

"I'd hope you could tell the two of us apart. I may have to get violent if you start moaning _his_ name in your sleep." Tim used the opportunity to shove Dimitri off him, rolling his eyes at the other man's chuckling. One thing was certain. He wasn't entirely sure he'd survive the dual immaturity that Dimitri and Tony offered.


	6. Author's Note

**I apologize to anyone who was expecting another chapter update. That is not what this is.**

**I, unfortunately, had an unexpected death in the family so I will not be posting any chapters for any of my stories until after the funeral. I need to focus on being with family right now. I cannot provide an exact date for when I'll be posting again but I do hope I can soon.**

**Until further notice, the following stories are on hold:**

_Poison Ivy_

_Future History_

_Nomenclature_

_Apparitions_

**I do hope all my readers are understanding and are willing to wait while I work with my family through this difficult time.**

**-Bushy**


	7. Arrival

**A/N:** I'm glad you all have been so understanding with having to wait longer than usual for an update to my stories. While the ideas are in my head, it's been a bit difficult to make the transition from thinking the chapters up to typing them out in a word document. If any of you read _Apparitions_, though, you will have to wait a bit longer for that one. It's hard to write that particular story at the moment, especially considering what I originally had planned for the next chapter.

School has started, now, meaning I don't have as much time for writing. Homework _does_ get priority. I could probably get about one chapter for one story out a week (at the low end). I may alternate, I may post chapters as I finish them regardless of how long it's been since the story was last updated. Either way, I will do my best to update _all_ my stories with some type of regularity.

_If it seems like I've been neglecting one particular story more than usual, please feel free to point it out in a PM. I'll do my best to make sure that story gets a new chapter as soon as possible._

With that, enjoy this latest update!

* * *

"Remind me again why I agreed to come with." Tim borderline whined as Dimitri turned Tim's Porsche into the drive way of his parents' estate.

"Because I want to tease my family by bringing you but not actually telling them that we're getting back together."

"Being tackled by your brothers isn't exactly how I want to spend my unexpected day off." Dimitri threw Tim a smirk.

"I'd be more worried about the girls when they finally see you. You _do_ like having a bruised back, right?" Dimitri asked through a chuckle. Tim rolled his eyes at the remark and turned his attention to the manor.

"Certainly doesn't look any bigger from the last time I've seen it."

"You wouldn't see the additions from here. Mom and Dad added wings to the back so they didn't have to completely re-do the entrance way. The pool is now in an enclosed area, ruining any sort of view there was before."

"Like you cared about the view. You were always more concerned about what you could get away with without getting caught." Tim chided. Dimitri let out a guilty chuckle.

"Between you and kate, I had plenty of other things to focus on than the view, thank you very much. How do you think the girls got here?" Tim let out a snort.

"Do you really think Kate would appreciate you giving specific details like that?"

"Kate wouldn't give a damn. The only reason why she didn't come to you begging to be number three in a three-way when she and I were together was because I don't share. At all." A pink tint grew on Tim's face at Dimitri's blatant admission. He and Kate were close, but he didn't think he could ever do anything like that with her. She was too much like Sarah or Ziva to him. Shuddering at the thought of Kate coming to him with such a request, Tim restrained himself just long enough for Dimitri to bring the car to a complete stop before undoing his buckle and getting out. Dimitri burst out laughing at Tim's reaction to the little piece of information he shared, deciding to take his time in getting out.

"You know, I'm surprised all you guys are home at the same time." Tim changed the subject. With a roll of his eyes, Dimitri went along with it as he led the way up to the main entrance.

"I was the last one to come home. Yuri, Luka, and Viktor all agreed not to re-enlist when their due date came up a few months ago and Mischa made the decision last year. Now Mom and Dad have more time with their kids and grand kids than they know what to do with."

"The triplets made the decision together? I figured at least Luka would want to stay in a bit longer."

"Pressure from Mom." Dimitri explained. "Yuri and Viktor both have a wife and kids. She's guilt tripped him into feeling like the odd man out. Doesn't matter that _Anya_ has yet to find a man she finds suitable enough to marry. We boys apparently gotta start earlier."

"Where does that put you, then?" Tim couldn't help but ask.

"I think I'm safe from the lectures because of Deidre and Tabitha. I've already done my duty and given her grandchildren to take the focus off me. That leaves me free to do what I want." Dimitri snickered. He opened the door with a quick turn of the knob, letting out a sigh at the sight of various workers decorating the main entrance hall.

"Dimitri! You are back early." An older looking woman walked away from the ladder she had been standing below as she directed the workers.

"Yeah, I know, Mom. I said I was gonna be gone most of the day. But something came up and..."

"Timothy!" Dimitri promptly stepped aside as Tim was quickly grabbed into a hug by his mother. She let out an excited laugh as she pulled away and held Tim at arm's length. "Dimitri made no mention about bringing you home! Dimitri, why didn't you tell me you were bringing Timothy home with you today?"

"Mom, I didn't know I would be bringing Tim home when I left last night." Dimitri explained in an even tone that made Tim hurriedly make an effort to hold in his laugh.

"Never mind, then. Timothy, how have you been?! Kate and the girls always mention when they see you but you never come visit here! Why not?" It was Dimitri's turn to hold in laughter as his mother immediately went about putting Tim on a guilt trip.

"I've been doing ok, Nadia. Work can be rather hectic, so I don't always get to follow through with my plans. Most of the time it's rather unexpected when I see Kate and the girls. I can't always get days off like today." Tim placated Nadia smoothly. When she accepted the explanation without argument, Dimitri threw Tim a 'Come on!' look when his mother turned away to give a few more orders to the workers. Tim stuck his tongue out with a smirk, clearing his expression just in time to keep Nadia from seeing it as she turned back to the two of them.

"Your father had to run into the office for something, so he'll be back a bit later, but all the others are out in the garden. They deemed today a good day to have a spontaneous pool party. They're already getting lunch ready, but I do suspect that they're going to commandeer dinner and have it held out there as well."

"Sounds like a great idea! I'm just gonna take Tim out to say hello before we go digging for swimming wear." Dimitri started pulling Tim towards the depths of the building. "Have fun decorating, Mom!"

Nadia rolled her eyes at her son's antics and shooed the two of them out of the entrance hall.


	8. Sibling Love

**A/N: **I know it's been a while since I updated, but school has been hectic. Busy, busy, busy with lots of homework and projects. Upside is that the semester is almost over, so I'll have about a month to do nothing but writing until the Spring semester starts.

Again, I appreciate everyone who's been waiting for each chapter to get posted. You all have turn this into the most viewed and reviewed story I have! It amazes me that a quirky side idea I had turned into my most popular story. I'm really loving you guys! I get excited about every review I get.

Enjoy this latest addition!

* * *

Yells and shouts of laughter reached their ears before Dimitri and Tim made it to the garden door. They gave each other amused looks when one of those shouts turned into one of protest just as Dimitri opened the door. Their first sight was of a man falling into the pool with a splash, a young woman letting out maniacal laughter at the edge of the pool where the man would have been standing.

"Anya, damn it!" The man sputtered when he made his way back to the surface. The young woman in question stuck her tongue out at him before darting her way over to a near by table of food, immediately shoving a hunk of watermelon into her mouth.

"Deal with it, Luka!" She yelled back at him, muffled from the food in her mouth. Luka glared at her as he pulled himself out of the pool to dry off. Everyone else was too busy laughing at the prank to notice Dimitri and Tim standing there, but Luka did as he reached for his towel.

"Dimitri!" He yelled in surprise. Luka's expression of irritation dropped as quickly as his towel was, being replaced with a grin as the others turned in shock.

"Luka!" Dimitri yelled back in mock surprise. Tim let out a chuckle as the others continued to look on in silence with wide eyes.

"I think you broke your siblings." He muttered to Dimitri. His statement seemed to jar the others into action, because as soon as he said it Anya immediately dropped the piece of food she was holding and rushed towards her oldest brother in a running leap. Dimitri barely caught her in time, bursting out laughing as he spun the both of them around to throw off Anya's excess momentum. The others soon followed, everyone speaking at once.

"Mom didn't tell us you were home already!"

"When did you get back?"

"How long have you been home?"

"Have you seen Kate or the girls yet?"

"You went to see your boy-toy before your siblings?!"

"Hey!" Tim yelled in protest when that last question registered in his head, making everyone laugh and finally quiet down long enough for Dimitri to answer them all.

"I got home a couple days ago. And don't yell at Mom. I told her and Dad not to say anything. I wanted to get a couple things done before seeing everyone again." He set Anya down as he spoke, throwing an arm over her shoulders in a half hug. It was easy to see that the oldest Petroviak child was closest with the youngest. "Yes, I've seen Kate and the girls. I saw them the day I got back. As for my _boy-toy_, Tim was the first person I saw upon arrival."

Tim glared at Dimitri for going along with the nickname but remained silent. He knew the Petroviak family well enough not to argue. With his luck, Dimitri's parents would start using the term as well.

"If only my exes were as adamant to see me." Anya pouted.

"Pick better exes." Yuri laughed, poking her in the side. "Because in case you haven't noticed, McGee is loveable even after breaking up with him."

Dimitri and Tim shared a look. Their news was definitely going to shock a few people.

"I try my hardest." Tim shot at Yuri before someone noticed his and Dimitri's silence.

"What are you doing now, Tim? Whatever it is is certainly keeping you in shape." Mischa asked, turning his attention from his brother. Tim grinned at the comment.

"Thanks. And it does. I'm a field agent for NCIS."

"Oooo! That means you get to solve murders and crimes and whatnot for the Marines and the Navy, right?" Anya spoke up, her eyes wide with fascination. It was a heavy reminder to Tim that Anya was only a couple years older than Sarah and still managed to maintain a youthful innocence about her.

"Yes. I'm the Junior Field Agent for the Major Crime Response Team of DC's branch. We primarily handle felony cases."

"Sounds like you get to see a lot of gruesome stuff, then." Victor frowned.

"You'd be surprised..." Tim answered wryly.

"Change of topic!" Dimitri declared loudly. "I'm home. I don't want the mood to go downhill. How long have you guys been out here?"

"Not that long." Anya lifted her head to look up at him. "Cook isn't done with lunch yet. He simply sent out a small buffet of snack foods until he finishes."

"Great news. We only came outside for a quick hello before searching for swim trunks, so Tim and I are now going to go do that. It may take us a little while, so lunch may be done when we come back out."

"I'm expecting to have to drive back to my apartment to get my own swim suit." Tim inserted with a smirk, making Dimitri thin his eyes out at him.

"You'll do no such thing. You know damn well my mother hoards summer wear like it's going out of style. We'll easily find something here. And it'll most likely be in one of the guest rooms." Dimitri removed his arm from around Anya's shoulders, taking a step back. "Now hop to it. Like I said, it may take us a little while to find something in our sizes."

"Very well, my liege." Tim replied with as much sarcasm as possible, even including a small bow that got the others laughing at their antics. Dimitri pushed him back towards the door with a roll of the eyes, ignoring the spattering of catcalls his siblings were throwing at the two of them as they went back inside.

"I should make you pay for your cheek." Dimitri hissed at him when they finally got out of earshot of everyone else, including the house staff that was walking about. Tim chuckled evilly as he headed up the back stairwell first, already knowing exactly where Dimitri's room was.

"I'd like to see you try."

"I accept that challenge." Dimitri shot back with a calculating glare.

* * *

"Seriously, Dimitri. It's just swimming trunks." Tim moaned, sprawled out on Dimitri's bed. He had quickly found a suitable pair to wear and was already changed into them. Dimitri, on the other hand, had spent the last fifteen minutes searching his entire wardrobe for his 'favorite' pair of swimming trunks.

"But they're my _favorite_." Dimitri called back from his walk-in closet. Tim muttered something under his breath about Dimitri having a larger wardrobe than both of their sisters combined before giving in to temptation.

"Dimitri! I think it is time for you to come out of the closet." The rustle of clothes instantly stopped, the silence making Tim suddenly regret the potshot joke. Dimitri may have been considering letting him get away with the joke he made in front of the others but he was definitely going to pay for this one. The look on Dimitri's face as he slowly walked out of said closet only confirmed it.

"Excuse me?" Dimitri's even tone had Tim scrambling to sit back up and move away from the bed. If he stayed there, he'd be cornered.

"I said..." Tim began before taking a big breath. If he was going to go down, he might as well go down in a blaze of glory. "I think it is time for you to come out of the closet."

"I thought so." There was a tense silence in the room before Tim gave in to his Fight or Flight response and dashed for the bedroom door. It probably would have helped if the door was open before he got to it, but Tim's luck wasn't that good. The time he had to take to slow down to open the door was just long enough for Dimitri to catch up to him and jerk him away from it. Tim let out a laughing yelp as Dimitri threw him back in the direction of the bed, the only thing in the room where he could corner Tim without giving the man leverage to use brute force to get by him. His heavy wood furniture was a downside, in that respect. "You know, I think you should be..._reprimanded_ before we go back outside. You are definitely getting quite cheeky today."

"Gonna have to work for it." Tim reminded him of their conversation from that very morning, a mischievous glint shining in his eyes. He had to admit to him that he was going to greatly enjoy surprising Dimitri with the various moves he had learned in his years as an agent at NCIS. Taking the man down would be relatively easy, if only he could get a good enough opening to make the move. But that was a concern for another day. For now, he'd let Dimitri try to do whatever was going on in his twisted little mind.

"Oh, I don't think I'm going to have a difficult time." Dimitri let out a smirk of his own, making Tim a bit wary. That particular smirk usually meant Dimitri was thinking of something Tim wasn't expecting.

"You sure about tha..." Tim was interrupted mid-word when he had to dart to the side as Dimitri made to grab him again. The darting back and forth went on for a few moments before Dimitri tricked Tim with a false move in one direction, quickly changing his trajectory to grab Tim before the man realized he made a wrong move. Tim cried out in surprise at the sudden change in his situation and tried to wiggle his way out of Dimitri's grip before he was pinned to the bed. Frowning at his wrists being held above his head, Tim tried to buck the other man off of him amongst laughter.

"I told you." Dimitri managed to get out between laughs. "It wouldn't be difficult."

"Evil, twisted, sneaky..." Tim started spewing at Dimitri, glaring at the large grin he was getting. He tried to think of longer, more complex insults to use but his writer's brain was failing him.

"Awww. Anything else you'd like to say with your sixth grade vocabulary, Timmy?" Dimitri rose an eyebrow at Tim.

"You immature, harebrained, egotistical..!" Tim's raised voice was immediately quieted as Dimitri ducked down to kiss him, Tim suddenly hyper-aware of the position Dimitri had him in. Forgetting why Dimitri had him pinned down in the first place, Tim responded with enthusiasm and tried to wriggle his wrists free so he could run his hands through the other man's hair like he usually did. Their lips tickled from vibrations as Dimitri chuckled before pulling away and putting his attention on Tim's neck. Tim let out a whine at the change. "Dimi..."

"Now...Tim..." Dimitri said between kisses. He nibbled at the tender spot where Tim's neck met his shoulder, earning a moan, before pulling away to talk properly. "My brothers and sisters are waiting for us downstairs. We really should be going."

"You fucking tease." Tim hissed as Dimitri got off him with a smirk, heading back to the closet. "And you say I've turned evil!"

"You have." Dimitri left the closet a few seconds later, favorite swim trunks in hand, only to receive a disbelieving look from Tim. "What? I literally found them, like, two seconds before you made your 'come out of the closet' joke."

"Sure you did." Tim thinned his eyes out at Dimitri, who promptly ignored Tim as he changed into his swim trunks. Throwing on a plain white tshirt so he wasn't walking around the manor topless, like Tim did when he changed, Dimitri threw his street clothes down the laundry chute after emptying the pockets.

"Alright, now let's go. They're probably wondering what's taking us so long." Dimitri gave Tim a pseudo-innocent smile, prompting an eye roll from Tim. It was a look Tony have him all the time. It didn't work for Tony and it certainly wasn't going to work for Dimitri.

"You are going to pay. Dearly." Tim muttered as he got off the bed, letting the other man lead the way back out to the pool.


	9. Revelations

**A/N: **I hope all my American readers had an excellent Thanksgiving! Next up, Christmas...and people wonder how some of us gain weight so easily...lol

Some of you have been making comments and yes; Tim will, eventually, be telling the team what is going on with Dimitri. He has already partially told Ziva, if you remember him telling her about Dimitri's bisexuality in Chapter Two, Comparisons, and both he and Dimitri spoke about it in Chapter Five, Clarifications. I will not be rushing into it, though. Where would be the fun in that?

Enjoy this latest chapter!

* * *

"So, anything new in your life other than NCIS, Tim?" Anya asked from her floating chair out on the water. Everyone was done eating the main course for lunch with nothing left to do but graze through what was left on the buffet table.

"I got a book published. It made the _Times_ Top Ten Seller list." Tim grinned broadly from his place at the edge of the pool. All the Petroviak children, sans Dimitri, started speaking at once, but only Anya's question made it through the uproar to Tim.

"What did you write?" Tim looked around with an amused expression, waiting for the others to quiet down before answering.

"Deep Six."

"_No way_." Veronica, Mischa's wife, hissed. Tim turned to look at her in confusion, not understanding why Mischa had dropped his head in a groan.

"Yes, way, Ver. What's the deal?"

"Our daughter, Christine, is the _biggest_ Deep Six fanatic. Her entire bedroom is decorated in stuff related to the book. Fan art, promotion posters, the works. She even painted quotes onto her walls!" Tim's face grew redder and redder with each passing word from Veronica, prompting the others to start snickering at him. "If we damn well realized that we _knew_ the author, we would have requested a meet up ages ago!"

"I'm sure Tim would be more than willing to provide." Dimitri commented with a smirk. Tim gave him a glare.

"I told _you_ about Deep Six when I found a publisher to take it. Why didn't you tell me that one of your nieces was a fan?"

"Why didn't you tell us Tim was the author?" Mischa shot out before Dimitri could find an excuse for Tim's question. Dimitri resorted to giving Tim, Mischa, and Veronica an innocent expression.

"I have no idea what any of you are talking about." Dimitri then spun on his heel and headed back over to the buffet table. Rolling his eyes at the man's antics, Tim turned his attention back to Mischa and Veronica.

"I'll be more than happy to meet your guys' daughter."

"Interrupt her Freshman English class at school." Mischa immediately suggested. "Everyone in that class, including the teacher, knows about her Deep Six addiction and like to joke about it. It would show them the meaning of karma."

Veronica slapped at her husband with a disapproving look, which went totally ignored.

"I'd insist on contacting the school ahead of time to inform them about my 'surprise' visit, but sure. I'll visit her English class." Tim chuckled. No need to wonder if Dimitri and Mischa were related. Dimitri would most likely have suggested that, himself, if Mischa hadn't.

"So, dear oldest brother of mine." Yuri began just as Dimitri returned to the side of the pool, pulling himself up onto the edge like Tim was. "What important things did you need to do that had you running to McGee before us?"

Tim promptly pushed the younger man back into the pool, triggering another bout of laughter amongst the others. Dimitri looked slightly panicked as he tried to think up an excuse, the smirk on Tim's face telling him he had to fend for himself. This was the payment Tim mentioned back up in his bedroom. Yuri pulled Tim off the edge in retaliation just as Dimitri opened his mouth to speak, giving him a few more moments to think.

"Oh, just a little of this and a little of that." Dimitri attempted a nonchalant tone as he stretched out on one of the pool side chairs.

"Bullshit!" Victor cried out, earning an eye roll from his wife, Irene. "I went in to talk to Mom when the two of you went to go search for swim trunks. You've been with Tim more than anyone else these last few days, _including_ your daughters."

Anya slipped off her chair and swam over to Tim, giving him a smirk as she pulled herself out of the water and nestled up against him. She had figured it out. Anya had only ever been comfortable enough with him to treat him like she treated Dimitri when he and the other man were together. Giving her an amused look in return, Tim threw an arm over her shoulders as he turned his attention back to Dimitri. It wasn't often any of them got him stuck in between a rock and a hard place. This was prime entertainment.

"Well, maybe I didn't want to be the target of jokes my first day back!" Dimitri cried at his younger brother.

"Yeah, because _we_ are the jokers in this family." Yuri replied sarcastically. Luka's laughter began to slow down when he noticed Anya glued to Tim's side, giving the two of them a surprised look. Tim quickly made a slashing motion in front of his throat so Luka wouldn't say anything, jerking his head at Dimitri to say that he wanted the oldest Petroviak child to do the revealing. Pursing his lips together in an attempt to hide a grin, Luka nodded in agreement.

"God, I know you're not, Yuri." Dimitri let out a sigh of irritation. "That's why I have every reason to fear any time I'm put at the disadvantage."

"For crying out loud, Dimi, stop stalling!" Tim inserted himself into the conversation. Dimitri's comment would send the brothers off into a tangent and that was _not_ what he wanted. Tim's unexpected addition had everyone else looking at him in mild surprise that he'd actually interrupt someone, only to have Yuri, Victor, and Mischa zone in on Anya. They knew what that meant, even if the wives didn't.

"Alright, _fine_." Dimitri rolled his eyes, ignoring his younger brothers rapidly turning their heads back and forth between him and Tim. Veronica, Irene, and Elizabeth looked at their husbands oddly before turning back to Dimitri."I wanted to see Tim before confronting him about Don't Ask, Don't Tell being repealed, ok?!"

"Please tell me you plan on making Dimitri your bitch this time around." Anya looked up at Tim with an innocent expression, making him throw his head back in laughter as the triplets and Mischa started throwing questions at Dimitri.

"Huh?" Elizabeth asked Tim when it became clear that she wasn't going to get an answer from Dimitri. She was the only Petroviak wife who wasn't there when he and Dimitri were first together and obviously wasn't told about it. Irene and Veronica started whispering to each other in a fit of giggles, forcing Tim to make a mental note to _not_ ask them what they were talking about.

"Dimitri and I first met when we attended MIT, Eliza." Tim began to explain. "When he and Kate got divorced, Kate pushed us to get together because she saw the attraction he and I had for each other. We were together for three years before I cut it off because he wanted to enlist. I wasn't going to let him get discharged because of me."

"Oooh!" Elizabeth's eyes widened in surprise. "_You_ are the ex Anya mentioned earlier when you guys first got here. I thought she meant Kate."

Anya buried her face into Tim's chest to hide her laughter from her blonde sister-in-law, leaving Tim alone in his attempt to keep a straight face. Elizabeth must have only been half listening earlier because Yuri had literally said Anya's comment was in reference to Tim.

"Yes, I am." Tim managed to get out.

"Do Deidre and Tabitha know?" Elizabeth's surprise morphed into curiosity.

"Didi and Bithy have literally known me their entire lives, so I would hope so." Tim let a chuckle escape, remembering that fateful day eighteen years previous. It was the only day he had ever willingly skipped classes.

"Wait, literally?" Veronica and Irene's giggles grew when they ended their own conversation to join in on Tim and Elizabeth's at that moment. Tim gave them both a look before turning back to Elizabeth.

"Yes. When Kate went into labor, Dimitri dragged me along instead of dropping me off at class. It was his car so it wasn't like I could tell him what to do. Anyway, Dimitri passed out in the delivery room and Kate demanded I come in and stand in his place because she didn't want to be alone. I, being the gentleman I was raised to be, acquiesced to her request. Dimitri eventually woke up and made his way back in but Kate's grip on my hand meant I wasn't moving any time soon. Dimitri simply picked up her other hand and occasionally threw smirks at me when I would fail at getting Kate to let me go."

"His car? You didn't have your own way of getting to classes?" Tim pinched Anya's arm when the young woman let out a snicker at Elizabeth's question.

"I was only sixteen at the time. I'm sorry. I probably should have been a bit more clear when I described my and Dimitri's relationship. Kate and Dimitri were divorced for well over a year when he and I finally got together. Dimitri didn't make a move until after I turned eighteen." Tim gave Elizabeth an apologetic look for causing her confusion.

"So, wait. You're only thirty four? Two years younger than Dimitri? Mischa's age?"

"Yes, Beth." Veronica stepped in. "Tim and Mischa are the same age. Tim graduated from high school a couple years early."

Veronica and Irene pulled Elizabeth's attention towards them, alleviating Tim from the duty of having to answer all her questions. It was just in time, as the middle Petroviak children were finished interrogating Dimitri. Giving Anya a mischievous look, Tim pushed her into the water before jumping in as well and making his way over to the group of brothers.

"You guys done cornering Dimitri? I'd actually like to spend some time with him on my rare day off."

"You!" Mischa suddenly grabbed Tim and pulled him into a hug. Yuri and Victor followed suit, turning it into a group hug. "Mom is going to be ecstatic when you two tell her you guys are back together. I don't think she's ever going to let you leave again, Tim."

"Ditto on that. And neither will Dad." Luka added. Tim threw Dimitri a 'help me' look, which was ignored. Payback was a bitch. Tim started to say something but was interrupted by the suddenly blasting of 'Halls of Montezuma'. It gained everyone's attention as none of them had that as a ringtone. Tim did, however, and he pulled himself away from the others and leaned up against the side of the pool.

"Dimitri, my cell. I have to answer it." Tim made a 'gimme' motion until Dimitri go up and retrieved his cell phone for him. Tim quickly answered it before it went to voice mail. "Yeah, Boss?"

"_I do hope your landlord allows you to pay for minor repairs. If he doesn't, you just lost part of your security deposit._" Tim dropped his face into his empty hand with a groan, ignoring the wary looks he was getting from the others. They had been told that he had the day off but they weren't so naive as to think that he wouldn't get called in if needed.

"What happened?"

"_DiNozzo broke your locks._"

"What the hell is Tony doing picking my locks?! I'm not even home!" Tim cried out, horrified. Dimitri erupted in laughter, confusing his siblings by his reaction. He knew Tony just enough to not be surprised by the man's actions.

"_Apparently going to your apartment was preferred over going to his own to nurse his hangover. He mumbled something about making you share the misery. Anyway, DiNozzo did something wrong and now neither your deadbolt or handle will lock._" Gibbs was doing a poor job at hiding his amusement, but Tim's suspected that the older man wasn't bothering to even try.

"Please tell me he at least got barked into a raging headache by Jethro." Tim knew his dog. Without Tim home to shut him up, Jethro would bark at anyone and everyone who wasn't Sarah, Abby, or Ziva.

"_Yep..._" Moans could be heard in the background, telling Tim that Gibbs was probably in his apartment giving Tony a critical look. Tim didn't envy the Italian man.

"Alright. I'll call my landlord. He'll need to be notified that he is going to be getting copies of new keys for my apartment. I've spoken with him about the possibility of my locks getting broken because of something work related and he agreed to not dock anything from my security deposit if it happened, just as long as I cover the repair/replacement costs."

"_Don't worry about that. DiNozzo has volunteered to purchase the new deadbolt and new door knob for you. Is there any style in particular that you would like to have?_" Tim's lips quivered in amusement at the obligatory groans of protest that came from Tony even though he knew Tony would have paid for it, regardless of Gibbs insisting on it. Tony's guilt at causing damage because of a mistake would have insured that.

"Just make sure the colors match, Boss. What time should I tell my landlord to send the maintenance man up to install them?"

"_DiNozzo's doing that, too._" Meaning Gibbs was going to install it and was intending to use Tony as a 'Go-fer'. "_Just tell your landlord that it's being taken care of and that we'll be dropping off copies of the keys to the manager's office when we're done._"

"Ok. Thanks, Boss. I'm currently with Dimitri and his family, meaning I have no idea when I'll be getting home, but I'll call you when I'm about to leave so you know when to expect me."

"_Right._" That's when Gibbs hung up. Tim locked his cell phone with a shake of his head, handing it over to Dimitri so the man could return it to the table Tim had placed it on.

"What did Tony do?" Dimitri couldn't help in asking. The laughter Tim was holding in at the absurdity of the situation finally escaped, leading to him dropping his head to the ground and laughing into the cement of the pool's edge.

"Tony, he..." Tim gasped for air, wiping away the tears that were slipping down his face. Trying to talk when he was laughing this hard was more difficult than he realized. "He's still hung over from last night. He went to my apartment to make me join in on the misery instead of going home to nurse said hang over. Tony, being Tony, tried to pick my locks instead of using the damn keys I gave him. He messed something up and now neither of my locks will, well, _lock_. He's been volunteered to go get new ones and install them. I gotta go pick up my new keys before going home."

"Do your coworkers regularly break into your apartment?" Veronica looked at Tim, horrified, making him laugh even harder when he remembered that she was a homicide detective in Baltimore. Dimitri decided to take pity on Tim and answer for him.

"Yes, they do, Roni. Tim would be surprised if they ever actually used the spare keys he has given them." Tim nodded in agreement, unable to speak any further. He stopped laughing suddenly when his brained focused on _Baltimore homicide detective_. Veronica would have been a regular street officer when Tony was there but she may have met him. If he was remembering it correctly, Veronica worked in the same precinct Tony had worked in.

"Veronica..." Tim paused to take a deep breath, still a bit light headed from having laughed as hard as he did. "Do you remember the names of the homicide detectives who worked at your precinct back in 2001?"

"Vaguely. Only one or two. Why?" She gave Tim a wary look at his sudden change in topic.

"Who?" Veronica rolled her eyes, muttering something about stubborn Irish men before tilting her head to think about Tim's question.

"Danny Price and Tony DiNozzo come to mind. It's hard to forget those two, even though I never actually met them. I merely saw them around the office and know them by reputation. Now why do you want to know?"

"Tony, my partner who just broke my deadbolt and door knob while trying to break into my apartment, is Tony DiNozzo." Tim grinned as an expression of shock appeared on Veronica's face.

"I have to meet him." She immediately insisted. Mischa frowned at his wife for her sudden enthusiasm about meeting a man he didn't know. "Tim, I have to meet him. I've been moved to his desk in the office. Everyone has been saying I got the 'DiNozzo Luck' because I've yet to have a case go cold since I was moved there. My coworkers are even saying I'm starting to adopt mannerisms similar to his. You do not realize how much I _have_ to meet him."

"Ok, ok, ok..." Tim put up a hand to get Veronica to stop talking, letting out a chuckle. "How long are you and Mischa in town for?"

"Another week. We're using some of my built up vacation days."

"That's perfect. When I go home later I'll give Tony a call to see what he has planned since we're off of work for an undetermined amount of time. It won't take much to convince him. He'll agree to nearly anything as soon as I say 'Dimitri'. He and a couple other coworkers of mine have been chomping at the bit to find out more since Dimitri's little performance in the office the day he got home."

"Wait, do they _know_?" Victor looked at Tim with disbelief. Tim immediately shook his head to dissuade any confusion.

"No, they do not know about my and Dimitri's previous relationship nor about our decision to try again. However," Tim threw Dimitri an apologetic look. "Ziva does know about your bisexuality, Dimi. She asked me about your flirting and I had to explain that you act like that with nearly everyone."

"Like I give a damn that she knows." Dimitri scoffed. That reminded Tim about their conversation that morning and he decided to drop it, turning back to Veronica.

"Anyway, it won't take much for me to manipulate Tony into doing something right now. Just pick a day."

"Day after tomorrow, then, if possible. I don't think I could wait much longer than that." Veronica waved off Mischa's attempts to insert himself in on the planning, putting her primary focus on Tim.

"Not a problem." Tim gave Mischa an amused look when the man gave up trying to get his wife's attention and went to go get more food from the table. It was the ultimately irony, considering that Mischa originally thought Veronica wasn't going to get along with the rest of his family and here she was, acting just like them.

"I gotta come with, though." Dimitri added. "I will _not_ miss a chance of seeing Tony embarrass himself."

Tim groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. He had been wondering how quickly Dimitri was going to make him regret introducing him to the team. It hadn't taken long.


	10. Mom and Dad

**A/N:** It's December! That means all the awesome candy and gadgets are on sale! Of course, Christmas and New Year's are also coming, but I'm more into all the candy that is only sold this time of the year. And don't get me started on that egg nog!

Warby, Warby, Warby...you are quickly becoming one of the favorite readers. Your reviews are always fun to read and your speculations provide a nice laugh when I'm between chapters. Do keep them up.

Here is the latest update!

* * *

"I hear there's a surprise guest here today!" A deep baritone voice echoed through the pool area, making Anya scramble to get out of the water.

"Daddy!" The young woman was a blur as she raced to her father, the older man mimicking his oldest son's earlier actions by catching her and twirling the two of them around. Senator Sergei Petroviak was a towering man who made his youngest child and only daughter have to go on her tip toes to kiss him on the cheek, and even then she had to pull him down slightly to make the connection. It was clear which parent the Petroviak boys inherited their height from.

"Hey, Dad!" Dimitri called out with a grin as he got up to go hug his father. He wasn't quite as enthusiastic as his baby sister, but he _was _the only Petroviak child there who hadn't seen their father yet that day.

"Ah. Dimitri. It's always great to see you, especially now that you're home." Sergei returned the hug before letting out a smirk. "But you aren't the one I was referring to."

Snickers escaped the others as Dimitri let out a pout at his father's statement. He turned around to mock glare at one person in particular, who's snickers grew into full out laughing.

"Perfect. Even my own father prefers you over me."

"Now, now Dimitri. Behave." Sergei patted Dimitri's shoulder. "You're my first born. You'll always have that to gloat over the others."

Tim didn't remove the innocent look he was giving Dimitri as he approached the two oldest Petroviak men, but quickly turned it into a grin as he was pulled into a hug by Sergei.

"It is excellent to see you again, Tim. It has been much too long."

"Yeah. I'll have to remedy that. I'm only here today because I got the day off and Dimitri decided to kidnap me." Tim explained. He could feel the stares of anticipation digging into his back but he stubbornly ignored them. "Not that it was too difficult for him to do. I've missed you guys."

"I only had to drag you kicking and screaming to your car." Dimitri inserted. He quickly stepped back to avoid the smack Tim aimed at his stomach, sticking his tongue out at Tim when the man missed.

"What have you been up to, Tim? Whatever it is has certainly kept you in shape." Sergei ignored their antics.

"I work for NCIS, actually." Tim's look of annoyance at Dimitri turned into a proud one. "It's _Special Agent_ Timothy McGee. I'm the Junior Agent for the MCRT."

Dimitri made faces at his brothers, mocking Tim as the man spoke about his career. Mischa and Luka made gestures back and forth between Tim and their father with the hope that their message was clear enough to Dimitri. He rolled his eyes at his two brothers for their prompting, turning his attention back to the conversation in front of him.

"Ah. So you interact with Leon Vance on a regular basis, it's safe to assume, yes?" Tim had Sergei's rapt attention.

"Yes, I do. Director Vance regularly has me do side assignments on top of my duties to the MCRT. Not many field agents have the academic background I do." Tim continued. A sudden clench grew in his stomach in anticipation of something, making him a tad confused. Tim was about to turn and say something to the others, thinking that maybe it had to do with Veronica having heard of Tony, when he was grabbed and jerked sideways. Tim barely got out a cry of surprise before he was silenced by a pair of lips on his own and suddenly everything became clear. His gut was warning him about Dimitri, not telling him to mention Tony to Sergei. He relaxed into the kiss, sensing the look of surprise coming from the older man he had just been speaking to, but didn't pull away. Tim would let Dimitri tell his parents how he saw fit.

"Well..." Sergei gaped for a few seconds when Dimitri finally let Tim pull away. "I take it you didn't actually drag him kicking and screaming to his car. Did you, Dimitri?"

"Nope!" Dimitri grinned at his father. "In fact, the only place Tim did any screaming was..."

"Dimitri!" Tim hissed with a glare. "Do _not_ make me revoke your team visitation privileges."

"Aww, come on!" Sergei looked on with bemusement as his son gave Tim puppy eyes that weren't really working. He was impressed. Tim would have capitulated had it been fifteen years previous.

"_No_, Dimitri." Tim replied in a stern tone.

"It is nice to see that you are going to make Dimitri work for it this time around, Tim." Sergei commented before Dimitri could say anything against Tim's refusal. "Welcome back to the family. Warn me before you two tell Nadia."

Sergei gave Tim one last pat on the shoulder before heading over to his other children, ignoring the look of abandonment and betrayal his oldest was giving him. If Dimitri wanted to push Tim's buttons, Sergei figured, then he could deal with the consequences.

* * *

Tim rubbed at his hair with a towel as he stepped out of the shower stall, feeling a lot more comfortable now that the chlorine was washed off him. The towel joined the swimming trunks he used down the laundry chute shortly before Tim put on the clean pair of boxers he had brought into the bathroom with him. He could hear music playing in Dimitri's room and ventured a guess that the man had turned it on as he picked out fresh clothes to wear. Tim sometimes wondered if Dimitri put in an effort to define the stereotypical 'flaming gay' or if it just came naturally.

"Seriously, Dimi? Wild Cherry?" Tim motioned towards the stereo system as he entered the bedroom.

"Play that funky music, white boy! Play that funky right!" Dimitri sang back at Tim before dancing his way into his closet with a shirt he obviously decided against wearing. Tim rolled his eyes, silently wondering to himself what he saw in the juvenile marine.

Tim was more than happy to put back on the same clothes from that morning, washed, ironed, and folded in a neat pile on the end of Dimitri's bed, and was soon lounged back against the headboard as he waiting for Dimitri to get dressed. A neon yellow photo album on the nightstand caught his eye and Tim couldn't help but grab it. The word 'Ada' was artistically painted in the center of the blinding fabric, hinting to Tim was was inside. The word was, after all, elvish. He was not disappointed when he opened the cover to see a picture of two identical, teenaged girls dressed to the nines in their full prom wear. A picture Tim, himself, had in a photo album at home. He let out a small laugh as he looked over Deidre and Tabitha in the picture. Despite being identical twins, their personalities obviously clashed.

Deidre's dress was bright red, form fitting, and spunky. It had only the one strap going over her right shoulder, it cut off mid thigh, and Tim would highly bet that the only reason why she got away with wearing a dress that short was because Dimitri wasn't there to veto it. Tim had to admit, though, that Deidre made the dress work. Having stud earrings be her only jewelry was a nice touch, making her seem all the more feisty with her hair flowing free and ruby heels that looked like they could double for ice picks. The athlete in her obviously wasn't shy about showing what she had. Tabitha, on the other hand, looked like a princess in her green, floor length gown that blossomed out at her waist and matching rhinestone tiara anchored in her then-curled hair. Tabitha's lack of straps put a small focus on the emerald necklace around her neck, a nice match with the green bangles around her wrists and emerald pumps. Both girls were grinning at the camera, their eyes sparkling brighter than any piece of jewelry they could have worn.

"I still can't believe Kate let her wear that thing." Dimitri hissed, making Tim jump from his sudden appearance next to him. Tim barely hid an amused smile at Dimitri's dislike for Deidre's dress, flipping the page to browse more pictures of the girls.

"The girls look absolutely gorgeous in their prom dresses, Dimitri. Be glad they have very faithful boyfriends to keep the other boys away."

"And what makes you so sure those _boys_ are faithful?" Tim gave Dimitri a 'Are you kidding me?' look.

"I have done background checks on both Ian _and_ Keith. They have spotless records. Not to mention Kate has told them that five marines and a federal agent will be there to kick their asses if they even thought about hurting either of the girls. Those boys have the fear of God in them. They're not going to do anything." Dimitri merely grunted, not wanting to verbalize his acknowledgment that Tim had a point. "Not to mention they'd both fit right in. Keith will be enlisting in the Marine Corp and Ian's been accepted at Annapolis. Trust me, Dimi. Your baby girls have found two young men who will spoil them more than you do."

Dimitri leaned over to press a kiss onto Tim's lips, smirking slightly as he pulled away.

"Tim. _You_ spoil the girls more than I do. Or, at least, you spoil _Tabitha_ more than I do. The criteria for Ian should be if he spoils Tabitha more than _you_." Tim quickly pushed Dimitri away with a hand to the face, rolling his eyes at the explosion of laughter he got.

"Come on, before your mother comes looking for us. Dinner should be done by now." Tim put the album back on Dimitri's nightstand as he got up, heading for the door. Dimitri let out an overly dramatic moan of protest before dragging himself off his bed and after Tim.

* * *

"It's been so great seeing you again, Timothy. When do you think you will next get a free day?" Nadia asked across the table just before she spooned some of her soup into her mouth.

"Actually, tomorrow." Tim laughed. "There's a few hoops the agents in Legal have to jump through before my team can get back to work. It's a pain in the ass when the defendant's lawyers find a loophole that lets them cut off our access to the evidence, but it's an evil we gotta deal with every once in while."

"So you're kidnapping Tim again, tomorrow?" Anya asked Dimitri, ignoring the look Tim threw her direction.

"No, he's not." Tim answered before Dimitri could speak. He turned to give Nadia an apologetic look. "I had promised Sarah that I'd spend tomorrow with her once I was done with work. Since I have tomorrow off, I was going to surprise her with breakfast."

"Understandable. You are certainly a devoted brother, Timothy." Nadia smiled. The Petroviak children all exchanged looks, judging each other.

"I only have the one sibling, Nadia. It ain't hard." Tim grinned. Sergei chuckled at the expressions on his children's faces as they continued to judge each other.

"Nadia, darling, stop making our children sell themselves short. Now, Tim, is it true you work with Tony DiNozzo? Veronica hasn't been able to stop talking about him all afternoon."

"Yes." Tim nodded, throwing an amused expression in Veronica's direction. She blushed darkly as she slouched in her seat. "Tony's my partner and a very close friend of mine. I agreed to arrange a meeting with him for Veronica. I may have to bribe him with coming here to visit, if that isn't imposing..."

"Oh, feel free to bring him here!" Nadia boasted loudly.

"The more the merrier, Tim. We'd be happy to host your friend as you introduce him to Veronica. Then we can decide for ourselves just how much like Agent Tommy he really is." Sergei let out a mischievous look as he inserted the dig about Deep Six, telling Tim that he knew about that as well.

"Are you sure you wanna bring Tony here, Tim?" Dimitri asked. Tim gave him a confused look, not understanding the point of the question. "Wouldn't the world implode from having two such similar personalities in one building?"

"Gibbs' house survived it. I'm sure your parents' manor will, as well." Tim shot back. "I'd be more concerned about Tony flirting with all the women in the house, including those on the staff."

"I think we can handle that." Anya waved off Tim's concern.

"Tony is a professional playboy, Anya. I swear, sometimes I think it's literally in his job description. As the only single woman here, expect a _lot_ of attention from him." Tim insisted. The looks on her brothers' faces had him back tracking, though. "Don't get me wrong. He's not going to try to get anything from you. It's just his default setting to flatter and flirt with nearly every woman in existence. Kinda like Dimitri."

"Hey!" Dimitri protested, pulling snickers from all his siblings. "I don't..."

"Yes, you do." Tim interrupted, turning to Dimitri. "You flirt with _everyone_. Don't think I didn't notice all the blatant flirting you did with Abby and Ziva. You're just lucky you didn't flirt with Tony or Gibbs. They would have kicked your ass. Especially Gibbs."

"I flirted with Ziva because DiNozzo was asking for it. Or did you not see the looks of irritation he kept on throwing my way?" The rest of the Petroviak family watched on in amusement as Tim and Dimitri debated back and forth, Nadia's look more bemusement than amusement. Something about their interaction was familiar to her.

"Yes, I saw the looks Tony was giving you. I was worried I'd have to stop him from jumping you, and not in the good way." Tim scolded with a frown. "But only because it's literally my job to protect you. If you do something that gets Tony, of all people, willing to resort to physical violence then you deserve to get your ass kicked."

"You wound me with your apathy, Timothy." Dimitri returned with a tone of sarcasm.

"What's going on here?" Nadia inserted, thinning her eyes out at the two of them. They each turned and gave her an innocent look, each for a different reason. Tim, because he thought he was doing nothing wrong. Dimitri, because he knew exactly what his mother was talking about and wanted to make her work for the reveal. The rest of the Petroviak's studiously turned their attentions to their dinner plates to keep themselves from laughing. "Don't look at me like that. You two have known each other since you first started attending MIT. In all those years, I've only seen you two bicker like this when..."

Tim took on a confused expression for a few moments when Nadia's eyes suddenly widened in shock. In his memory, he and Dimitri had always bickered like this. The vibrations of amusement coming off Dimitri explained the sudden change in Nadia's expression, though, when Tim realized that Dimitri had pushed for a topic that would get them arguing. The two of them may have always bickered with each other but they had only been open about doing it in front of each other's families after they had gotten together. Why, that sneaky...

"Dimitri, I think you broke your mother." Tim turned back to the man next to him.

"Wait, how is it all _my_ fault? You participated!" Dimitri objected.

"Because you just couldn't be straightforward about it, like you were with your father and the others. You had to be sly about it and make her confused before she figured out what was going on." Tim explained.

"You two are back together?!" Nadia let out in a girlish shriek, interrupting the two of them again. Tim gave her a smile and a nod, elbowing Dimitri when he took on a look that said he was considering the answer. Sergei made a show of rubbing at his ears as if he had been deafened as his wife rushed up from her seat and around the table to grab both of the younger men into a tight hug. "Oh, my god, you two are back together. The girls are going to be so excited! Wait...do they know yet?"

"No, Mom." Dimitri looked up at his mother with a smile as he pulled away. "The girls don't know yet. Neither does Kate. We have, literally, only discussed it at length just this morning. Quite understandably, Tim and I have a few more issues to deal with this time around."

Tim nodded along in agreement when Nadia threw a glance his way.

"Dimitri has the luxury of being able to tell others to go to hell, Nadia." He began to explain. "I don't. While I'm sure a few of my coworkers will be more than accepting, there are many that I'm not so sure about and they could make my life at NCIS very difficult if they wanted to. It's simply a matter of figuring out who I can trust and dealing with it."

"If NCIS becomes a hostile work environment for you, Timothy, then you shouldn't work there." Nadia insisted, not seeing why he would have to 'deal' with harassment.

"Mom, no." Dimitri quickly stepped in when a torn expression appeared on Tim's face at the suggestion. "Tim _wants_ to work for NCIS. He _wants_ to be a part of the MCRT. He has what he wants. He shouldn't let anyone take it from him so easily. If any of Tim's coworkers decide to start causing problems, they will be dealt with. From one Gunny to another, I already know Gibbs will deal with them without even having to speak to him about it."

"Ah. Special Agent Jethro Gibbs..." Sergei began. "I have heard much about his reputation. Nadia, Dimitri speaks the truth. Gibbs is not a man who deals with things lightly and will make anyone rue the day they mess with any of this people. Tim has a strong foundation of support, should anything happen with his coworkers at NCIS."

Nadia looked back and forth between the three of them with a frown before settling on Tim.

"You're an honorary Petroviak. Remember that. Someone messes with one of us, they mess with all of us." She bent down to press a kiss onto Tim's temple, giving Dimitri a quick one as well before heading back around the table to return to her seat. Tim and Dimitri exchanged a few silent looks, each of them mentally hoping the day where Nadia goes to NCIS to confront someone would never come.


	11. Surprising Sarah

**A/N: **I do apologize for the long wait! The last few weeks have been busy, busy, busy. There was Christmas, then I got sick, then it was New Year's, then I had all four of my wisdom teeth removed and been in a drugged haze the last few days. On top of that, the new semester is starting soon so I've been busy getting school stuff together while helping my dad and stepmom since they're buying a house. It's just been hectic.

I hope you all had a great time during the holidays and a Happy New Year!

**Review Replies: **Warby, we will definitely be seeing Sarah this chapter. But it will be a few more chapters until we get around to seeing his parents. The Petroviak manor is in the DC area, that's why we were able to see Dimitri's family so soon, but McGee's parents don't live in the area. I'm gonna need a bit of time to thing of a proper reason to get Tim out to them. Don't worry, though. Your questions _will_ be answered!

Enjoy this latest update!

* * *

Hugs were exchanged between everyone in the entry hall as Tim and Dimitri prepared to leave.

"No, Mom. I'm not staying with Tim tonight." Dimitri shot down his mother's nosy questioning. "My car is at his place. I just plan on picking it up and coming straight home."

"Have a safe drive home, Victor and Irene." Tim smiled at the couple, who were also getting ready to leave.

"We will. I'm just worried about us still having a home to go to. We haven't left the kids alone for this long before." Irene joked.

"I'm sure everything will be intact." Tim joked back.

"Now come on, McPet. You've got a bed time..." Dimitri smirked as he turned away from his mother, finally placating her. Tim glared at him for the pot shot, but it mostly went ignored. "I don't want Gibbs kicking my ass because you've learned to sleep through your alarm clock."

"Speaking of, we need to stop by his place first. Tony texted me earlier. My new keys are at Gibbs' house." Tim's glare turned into a mischievous grin.

"Right..." Dimitri hesitated. After having spent the previous evening there, Dimitri knew that Gibbs' house was touchy territory. Tim would never forgive him if he revealed anything to Gibbs before Tim was ready for the older man to find out. And now that they were officially together again, Dimitri wasn't entirely sure about his ability to keep his hands to himself. "You can run in by yourself."

"Good idea." Tim answered with a slight tone of sarcasm, recognizing the anxious look on Dimitri's face.

"Have a nice day with Sarah tomorrow!" Anya inserted herself between Tim and Dimitri, ignoring her brother's protests at her action. She went up on her tiptoes to press a kiss into Tim's cheek, pulling away with a grin on her face.

"I will, Anya. Thanks." Tim kissed Anya on her forehead. "I'll tell her you say hi."

"Come on." Dimitri let out in a whine, pulling eye rolls from Tim and his siblings. "The more you delay here, the more I'm going to delay when we get back to your apartment. And, as I said, you've got a bed time."

"You are more than welcome to stay the night at my apartment, Dimitri. Threatening to delay my 'bed time' isn't going to make me move any faster." Tim shot back. He stepped away from Anya anyway, knowing they really did need to get going. "You are, after all, going to be _staying_ at my place while your parents hold all their events."

"That's beside the point." Dimitri retorted back. "I'm coming back home, _tonight_."

"And I don't have work tomorrow! Hell, no one is expecting to see me tomorrow until late afternoon. I can wake up late." Tim let out a smug, winning grin. Dimitri couldn't argue about a so-called bed time when it wasn't a 'school' night. Tim waved good bye one last time to the others as the group of them snickered at his and Dimitri's argument before heading out the door, Dimitri pouting over his loss close behind. The two of them remained silent until Tim was already pulling the car out of the driveway.

"How are you telling Sarah, tomorrow?" Dimitri spoke up, back to his normal self. Tim rolled his eyes in amusement. The man pouted like there was no tomorrow when he lost the smallest of spats, but it certainly didn't take long for Dimitri to bounce back.

"I'm just going to straight out tell her. She already knows you, Dimitri. There's no need to worry about introductions and getting her used to the idea." Tim answered. "What about Kate and the girls?"

"I'll tell Deidre and Tabitha, myself, but I think you and I should tell Kate together before I do that." Dimitri's sudden serious tone had Tim looking back and forth between him and the road.

"Dimi..." Tim started, letting the Marine know he noticed the tone change. Dimitri sighed, rubbing a hand over his face.

"Ok, I've been thinking about what you said this morning. All day, actually."

"That had to hurt." Tim couldn't help but inject, despite the direction their discussion seemed to be taking. He pursed his lips together when Dimitri threw a glare in his direction, trying very hard not to laugh out loud.

"As I was saying..." Dimitri began again. "I've been thinking. I know I told you that you need to adopt an attitude as far as certain things are concerned, but we don't really need to cause any trouble if we can prevent it."

"Meaning?" Tim gave Dimitri the McEyebrow, the first since the man returned home.

"We should probably get Kate and the girls up to speed on everything before we let Ethan find out." Tim remained silent for a few moments, digesting what Dimitri had just suggested. So that's what Dimitri meant by what he had said that morning.

"What changed your mind about Ethan?" Tim finally said after he wrapped his mind around everything.

"Ultimately? What you told Mom during dinner. I can easily tell the man to go to hell because he can't keep me from my children or the mother of my children. That is a war he just will not win. But God only knows who Ethan is friends with in the Navy Yard. He's part of Internal Affairs for the FBI. He's got friends all over the place. Oh, wait. I'm sorry. He's part of the _Office of Professional Responsibility_. Like having a PC name will hide the fact that he's in a well hated branch of nearly every law enforcement agency in existence!"

"_But_..." Tim interrupted Dimitri's ranting before the other man could get on a roll. "I have friends in higher places. So what if Ethan knows people in IA at NCIS? In case you have forgotten, I've got Gibbs and Director Vance on my side. And through Vance, I've got SecNav. Ethan will _not_ be able to do anything that will get me fired, laid off, or some other variant of that action. My record is impeccable."

"I'm not worried about him getting you fired." Dimitri moaned, rubbing a hand over his face again. Anxiety did not work well on Dimitri.

"Then what? Dimitri, I've survived through _worse_ than what Ethan is capable of dishing out."

"So you would just be more than glad to suddenly transfer to a different team, in a different region?" Dimitri shot back.

"Where on Earth is _that_ coming from? There are only three possible ways that could ever get me to leave the team. Gibbs finally gets fed up with me and kicks me off, Tony isn't given the team leader position after Gibbs dies or retires, or I die. There are _no _other alternatives."

"Because of Dad I am _painfully _aware of how the world of politics works, Timmy. It's a lot more complex than what field agents are exposed to." Tim hissed in irritation, ending his back and forth attention turning to put all of his focus on the road.

"Regardless, Ethan would have to resort to political blackmail and extortion to do anything to me in NCIS. If he's really that stupid then he would deserve the backlash that would happen. There is a _very_ good reason why Gibbs has lasted through so many Directors." Tim summarized. His lack of inflection told Dimitri everything Tim felt about the subject. He felt that Dimitri was being an idiot and getting worked up over the wrong things.

"Fine. We'll discuss this later." Dimitri gave up. He wasn't the writer, Tim was. He just didn't have the proper vocabulary to correctly express his sudden concern over Ethan. Perhaps sleeping on it would help.

* * *

Tim made his way through the Waverly campus with a mild look of amusement. It was just after 8 o'clock, hardly _early_ by most standards, and yet all the students around him dragged themselves around in their pajamas looking like death warmed over. When he discovered that Sarah was already awake when he stopped by her dorm, Tim immediately knew to head straight to the commons. And, unlike most of her classmates, Sarah would be eating her breakfast freshly bathed and completely dressed for the day. A small habit that they both had picked up from their father. It would make her easy to spot in the crowd of mindless zombies that made up the rest of the student population that morning.

A few moments after he stepped into the commons area, Tim had a feeling Sarah would know he was there before he found her. He could hear a few nearby students whispering to each other, somehow remembering him from the murder investigation a handful of years previous. They must be in Sarah's year if they truly _did_ remember him and, like any other school cafeteria, gossip spread faster than fire when the gossipers actually knew what they were talking about.

As expected, Sarah's eyes where shining in silent laughter when Tim finally found her on the far side of the commons, a smile appear on his own face as he approached the table. Sarah's friends all gave meager greetings, still waking up, but they mostly when ignored by the two McGee's.

"Tim, you didn't call to say you were coming! Is everything alright?" Sarah let out between giggles. Tim's laid back demeanor made no allusion to anything serious, so she was free to laugh at how his appearance was causing a minor uproar among the other students.

"Everything is fine, Sarah." Tim took up the empty chair to her left, throwing amused glances at her friends when they seemed content with no longer having to maintain a conversation. "Lawyer issues at work, so Vance ordered us not to bother coming in to work. Today is Day Two of my surprise vacation, so I decided to try and surprise you with breakfast without waking you up too early. It's obvious my timing was slightly off."

"I'll say. I haven't been here long. I probably arrived when you started knocking on my door." Sarah gave her big brother a smirk.

"Then you can foist off your food to one of the others here. I made the decision to come this early for a reason and I'm sure you'll enjoy eating something other than cafeteria food."

"Definitely." Sarah didn't hesitate to push her tray across the table to her friends, standing up with a smile. "Breakfast with my big brother sounds loads more entertaining than trying to get _these_ creatures known as my friends talking."

"Hey..." One moaned in protest at the jab, muffled slightly by the table since they didn't lift their forehead from the surface. Sarah rolled her eyes and shook her head as Tim let out a chuckle, fondly remembering how his own friends were like back in college.

"Come on. We've got a full day ahead of us." Tim latched his arm around Sarah's shoulders and began leading her back towards the entrance to the commons.

* * *

"Ok, what is really going on?" Sarah asked without looking up from her menu. Tim barely glanced up in recognition of the question before returning to his eyes back to his own menu. He thought over his options, both on what to eat and how to answer Sarah's question, for a few moments before coming to a decision on how to continue.

"Dimitri is back state-side." Silence fell over the table as Sarah digested Tim's simple statement. The context in which Tim was telling her this meant a lot more than if he had just said it in passing in an email or during one of their phone calls to each other.

"You two are getting back together." Sarah smirked in amusement as she finally lowered her menu. Tim nodded in confirmation, setting his own menu down to face his sister.

"He got back home a few days ago and we only made the decision to get back together yesterday morning."

"Well, it certainly didn't take him long to jump you." Sarah quipped with a mischievous look.

"Sarah..." Tim thinned his eyes out.

"What?!" She burst out laughing. "I'm happy for you, Tim. You and Dimitri are perfect for each other. I knew it was only a matter of time before you two got back together."

"You are in agreement with his siblings, then. They all expressed various forms of surprise yesterday when I was at the manor with them and their parents."

"Speaking of, you going to tell Mom and Dad any time soon?" Tim was prevented from answering as their waitress came up to take their orders, but he immediately got back on topic after the woman walked away.

"I really want to tell them in person. Everyone else was. Or will be, since Dimitri and I agreed to tell Kate and the girls together, but I have to find a day off to tell them. And with this hectic case going on I don't know how long it'll be until I get enough guaranteed time off to drive back home to see them." Tim fiddled with the wrapper from his straw as he removed it.

"Mom and Dad will understand if you tell them over the phone, Tim. You haven't lived in Norfolk for several years now." Sarah took a sip of her orange juice before changing directions. It was up to Tim on how to tell their parents, so she wasn't going to argue. "What about the team? Last time I checked, they all still had thoughts about you and Abby getting back together."

"I don't know." Tim groaned. "It's not like I've let any of them in on the fact that I swing both ways. Not even Abby knows that."

"Then maybe you should work your way through the team. Tell them one at a time. Considering how you process and plan things, it would be less stressful for you." Sarah suggested. Tim couldn't help but nod in agreement. He's have an anxiety attack if he told the whole team at once. No, one at a time was the way to go.

"Who should I tell first?" Tim looked at his baby sister as if she held all the answers. Nadia's comment the previous night about him being a devoted older brother wasn't exactly wrong, despite him saying he only had the one sibling to focus on. The web of relationships between the Petroviak children was chaotic at best, and they certainly were loyal to each other, but it took all of them combined to be equal to what the two McGee children felt towards each other. When one was lost, the other would be there to help guide them back. Tim had tried to explain it to Dimitri once but the older man kept on comparing it to how he interacted with _all_ his siblings. Having all of that with only one person just didn't register in his head.

"Gibbs." Sarah didn't hesitate. "He's your boss. If you run into trouble with anyone else, even though I doubt you will, having him know everything will help quell any possible arguments or altercations. Not to mention the fact that I don't see Gibbs having even the slightest issue. He transferred you to his team because of your abilities. He's not going to kick you off because of your personal life."

"Point taken." Tim took a long drink of his milk. He was glad he decided to surprise Sarah with breakfast instead of waiting to see her until that afternoon. Tim needed this discussion done and over with. Fretting over it all day wouldn't have done him any good. "After Gibbs?"

Sarah quirked her lips as she thought that question over. She had different levels of understanding of each of Tim's team mates, so who to go with next wasn't an easy suggestion to make. It was borderline random.

"Ziva." The name escaped Sarah's lips before she completely thought it over, but after a few seconds she found that she didn't regret it. "She wasn't raised under American ideals. You said so yourself that she is very understanding of many things that would be considered taboo here because of her Mossad training. I think if you tell Gibbs and Ziva first, telling everyone else will come naturally."

"Alright. I'll do that." Tim let out a sigh of relief to have the biggest topic out of the way. As expected, Sarah didn't even bat an eyelash at the news of him and Dimitri getting back together. That she immediately began to help him figure out how to tell his team mates was a plus. He'd have to think of a really nice gift for her birthday coming up.


	12. Telling Gibbs

**A/N: **School has finally started again! With class every day, expect Sunday, I'm going to have a full schedule. I can't estimate how much writing time I'm going to be getting but I will continue to put up an effort to get chapters done.

Here's the latest chapter! Enjoy!

* * *

Tim glanced occasionally to the desk across from his. That was one downside of the desk arrangement in the Bull Pen. Every time he looked at his computer screen, Gibbs was visible in the corner of his sight. It made sitting still extremely difficult and earned him a few comments from Tony throughout the day, as well as the new nickname 'McFidget'. Tim was sure Gibbs knew he was the reason for the uneasiness, if the slight questioning look thrown back at him was anything to go by.

"Alright. Pack up." Gibbs called when the sun had fully set. Tony and Ziva didn't need to be told twice and were quick to head to the elevator, arguing over something in hissed tones. Tim froze in his seat when Gibbs' full gaze was turned on him for the first time all day. "McGee."

"Yes, Boss?" Tim certainly did not squeak out.

"Has there been something on my face all day?" Gibbs deadpanned. Tim hated Gibbs' dry sense on humor, sometimes. He really did.

"No." Tim rapidly shook his head.

"Have I sprouted a second head?"

"No."

"Then what is it?" Tim bit his lip at the question. He was perfectly happy with being able to give single syllable answers.

"Uhh..." Tim began. He was going to follow through with Sarah's suggestion to tell Gibbs, he would make himself do it, but he didn't want to tell the man about Dimitri here at the Navy Yard. Someone could overhear them. "Door unlocked?"

That made Gibbs go silent for a few moments, remembering a comment Ducky had said to him years ago. '_Young Timothy is like Caitlin, Jethro. He doesn't truly need us like the others do'_. Not once, since joining the team, had Tim retreated to Gibbs' basement. He had a loving family to fall back on outside of work. This was serious if Tim was planning on taking Gibbs up on his standing offer to everyone on the team.

"Always." Gibbs finally replied. Tim nodded, lowering his head back to his computer to turn it off. Gibbs eyed his fidgeting agent for a few more seconds before collecting his own gear to leave. He had intended to stay a few hours longer, but Tim's question had sent his gut churning.

* * *

Gibbs was impressed. The first time he had stuck a glass of bourbon in front of DiNozzo, the man chugged it like it was water. Not a mistake he made again. McGee, on the other hand, immediately began sipping it. Gibbs acknowledged the fact that this was probably habit from McGee's choice alcohol, wine, but he was impressed nonetheless.

Grabbing a fresh piece of sandpaper, Gibbs began scraping at his latest project as he pondered how to deal with Tim. Beginning a conversation would be a bit awkward. Gibbs had no idea what kind of problem made McGee finally retreat to his basement for the first time. What he _did_ know was that Tim wasn't going to be the one to break the silence of the room. He wasn't Tony or Abby.

"Have Abby and Ziva been giving you a break about your friend since our Team Night the other day?" Gibbs figured that was a good place to start to get Tim talking. The team, in general, was usually a neutral topic with anyone.

Tim, on the other hand, thought Gibbs had already figured everything out and froze like a deer caught in headlights. He hadn't considered the idea that Gibbs already knew. In reality, he should have known better. According to Abby, Gibbs was psychic.

"Umm...ummm..." Tim began to stutter. "Y...yeah. I haven't heard a peep from them about Dimitri since then."

"Good." Gibbs frowned at Tim's stress-induced stutter. He knew for a fact that McGee hadn't gotten into an argument with either woman in the last two days. Abby was more than welcoming towards McGee every time he was sent down to her lab and Ziva wasn't giving McGee the silent treatment. That left one other person. "McGee, did something happen to your friend? You need time off?"

"What?!" Tim spoke up with clarity, surprised at the questions. "Why would you think that something happened to Dimitri?"

"Whatever is putting you on edge obviously has to do with him, McGee. Just trying to figure out what it is." Gibbs replied calmly, a bit glad that shock would snap McGee out of his stuttering habit if it made another reappearance.

"Well, he's fine. He's currently packing a suitcase since he'll be staying at my place over the weekend while his parents hold a charity event at the manor." Tim informed Gibbs. He took another long sip of the bourbon he was given, realizing that Gibbs _hadn't_ figured it out completely. Just enough to know that it had something to do with Dimitri.

"Then what's wrong?" Gibbs changed tactics from being casual about it to the blunt approach. McGee was a Navy Brat. He wouldn't be even the slightest bit offended by it, like his gregarious team mates might have. And it seemed to be the best approach as McGee was taking in a deep breath like someone would usually do to calm themselves.

"Dimitri and I were together for three years before he joined the Marine Corp." Tim occupied his mouth with another drink of his bourbon as soon as he was done talking, not really wanting to look his boss in the face as the man digested that tidbit of information.

"And?" Gibbs asked a few moments later, not seeing how that could possibly be the reason Tim retreated to his basement. His question earned him a confused look from Tim, making him sigh. Gibbs realized he would have to spell it out to Tim that he wasn't old school about _everything_. "What does the second B stand for, McGee?"

"Bastard."

"Anything else?"

"No..." The confused expression didn't leave Tim's face.

"I'm not a bigot, McGee. Believe me, if I was then I certainly wouldn't be tolerating half of the things Abby does."

"Oh..." Tim let out in a quiet voice, sounding a bit like a child who thought they were going to get yelled at only to discover they did nothing wrong.

"Why is your past history with your friend putting you on edge now? We all should only be so lucky to get along with our exes like you do." The whole conversation amused Gibbs slightly but he was extremely careful to make sure it didn't appear on his face. Wherever this was going was plainly important, otherwise McGee would have just talked to him back at the Yard. '_Wait_,' Gibbs thought. '_The Yard'_.

"Uhh..." Tim began, not knowing how to correct his Boss.

"Your relationship isn't exactly _history_ anymore, is it?" Gibbs asked slowly, doing the correcting for McGee.

"No, it's not." Tim slowly shook his head. The stone that had been in his gut since he had arrived at Gibbs' house lifted, happy that Gibbs was so good at his job as an investigator. He was capable of filling in the blanks with ease. "When Dimitri joined the Corps, I broke it off because of Don't Ask, Don't Tell. I didn't want him to get discharged because of me. It would have been easy to hide, sure. We're bisexuals, not homosexuals, and wouldn't exactly have had to pretend to be attracted to any woman we came across, but I didn't want to risk it. He confronted me about it the other day."

"Because that idiotic policy was repealed and your reason was no longer valid." Gibbs added.

"Because it got repealed." Tim repeated in confirmation. His gaze moved away from Gibbs again, settling on the last of the bourbon in his glass as he set it down on Gibbs' workbench. He had officially come out to his boss and wasn't feeling as on edge as before. The bourbon was probably helping, but that didn't change the fact that Sarah had been right. Telling Gibbs first was a tad cathartic.

"Tim," Gibbs began. The rare use of his first name and brief pause after it dragged Tim's eyes back up to the older man. "I'm _proud_ of you. I'm sure telling anyone not already in the know about you that you and Petroviak are getting together is nerve wracking. I know I certainly wouldn't have been able to put myself on the line like that if my and Shannon's relationship had been viewed the same way yours will be. I'm glad you have someone you love so much that you're willing to take such risks. It's about time someone in our dysfunctional group found someone else. I was worried only Palmer would."

The corner of Tim's mouth twitched at the comment about Jimmy, but the unexpected sting growing in his eyes kept him silent. It was in that moment that Tim realized that he wouldn't have known what to do if Gibbs had turned away from him. Sure, he had _known_ that Gibbs was going to support him. His talk with Sarah the day before made that abundantly clear. But it was one thing to know something and another thing entirely to actually hear it.

The film of tears in McGee's eyes didn't go unnoticed by Gibbs. They solidified the fact that Tim was _not_ like his teammates. Not quite as expressive as Abby, but certainly not stoic like Tony or Ziva. And definitely the most naive. As bubbly as she appeared, even Abby had plenty of experience with disappointment from someone she had thought was part of her support system. Tim's constant support from his family made him lacking in said experience.

"It..." Tim had to pause right away to make sure he didn't start crying. "It was Sarah's idea to tell you first. She was insistent that having your support would be essential if I ran into any trouble as I started telling people. I didn't know what to do, which of you guys to tell first, how to do it. Talking...talking with Sarah yesterday helped me iron a few things out."

And there was the reason Abby had taken to McGee like a moth to a flame. McGee probably wasn't even trying and yet he managed to make a simple explanation sound like an apology. The 'Mother Me' vibes came off him in waves when he did that. Gibbs wasn't entirely immune, either, as it sent his paternal instincts through the wringer. No longer able to resist a reaction to McGee's relief that this entire discussion didn't go FUBAR, Gibbs slipped off his stool and pulled his emotional agent into a hug. He was sure that McGee had quite an interesting story to tell about his relationship with Petroviak, but that was a discussion for a different day.


	13. Ziva's Reaction

**A/N: **I do apologize for the long wait! I've been trying to type up chapters in the order I've been updating the stories, but I guess I'm just going to have to do a free-for-all and simply update as I get the ideas. That would probably work better, considering how little free time I'm getting because of my school schedule. Just last week I didn't get _any_ writing time.

**Review Replies:** Warby – Yes, yes, yes. We will be seeing Ethan soon. How soon, though, is still up to consideration. Tim isn't jealous of Abby. Him bumping into her to get her moving during Team Night was simply a nod at how close their friendship is. I know I would play 'Bumper Cars' with my friends to get them moving if they were stalling. And Abby doesn't have a crush on Dimitri. Everything else you've mentioned will be addressed in the chapters. :)

Enjoy this latest update!

* * *

"_So, how did he take it?_" Sarah asked the moment she answered her phone. Tim calling this early in the morning meant only one thing.

"Gibbs...well, he was accepting. He even said he was proud of me for having the courage to tell him." Tim rattled off, his nerves still calming down from all the work he put them through the previous night. "I can definitely tell that he's not going to tolerate anyone singling me out at work once word gets around. And it _will_."

"_As long as your team mates are accepting of you, Tim, it doesn't matter what the rest of the agency thinks. Are you going to tell Ziva today?_"

"I'm considering it. Dimitri got held up with some paperwork issues yesterday, so he ended up staying at the manor last night. I haven't had the chance to tell him that I told Gibbs."

"_Dimitri isn't going to begrudge you telling your team mates at your pace. You're not as outgoing as he is._" Tim sighed when he realized that Sarah was right. Dimitri wouldn't have any problem with going public about their relationship, but he would also wait if need be. Tim being unsure about his support system was a good reason for Dimitri to wait.

"You're right. Of course you're right." Tim frowned to himself as he paced back and forth in his bedroom. "I'll try to tell Ziva during lunch. It's her turn to run out and get it, today. I can volunteer to go with her."

"_Good plan. Now, is that all you needed? It's six in the morning._" Tim let out a laugh at Sarah's whining tone.

"Yeah. Go back to bed. I might call you tonight."

"_Alright. Talk to you later." _Sarah didn't wait for Tim to say good bye before hanging up. Shaking his head in amusement, Tim tossed his cell onto his bed and focused on getting ready for work.

* * *

"I'll go with you, Ziva. I have to wait for my searches to do their job, anyway." Tim gave her a smile as he stood up from his desk.

"Thank you, McGee. I would appreciate the company." Ziva smiled in return as she began collecting her things. Tony, like Ziva, didn't bat an eyelash at Tim's offer and kept his own attention on his work. It was not unheard of for Tim to offer to go with either of them on their lunch runs. Gibbs, however, gave Tim a knowing look over the rim of his coffee. Pointedly ignoring Gibbs' look, considering the older man wasn't even expecting a reaction, Tim collected his own things and headed towards the elevator with Ziva. They threw ideas about the case back and forth as they descended to the main floor, keeping the conversation going until they were in Ziva's car.

"I do hope we didn't scare away your friend the other day." Ziva commented once they were out of the Yard, switching discussion topics. "Gibbs mentioned yesterday that he did not look too happy near the end of the night."

"Dimitri was just annoyed by how often you and Abby compared him to Tony. He actually had a lot of fun." Tim placated her. He was a bit surprised that Ziva was the one to turn the discussion towards Dimitri, but after a few moments of consideration he realized he should have expected it.

"That is good. I would hate to make things awkward for you. I know you do not like to choose between your friends. Having him dislike us would undoubtedly cause that situation." Ziva nodded in acknowledgment, clearly pleased that they hadn't caused Tim any trouble. Tim, on the other hand, was mentally jumping for joy that Ziva had inadvertently handed him the perfect opportunity to transition the discussion to the reason he came with in the first place.

"About that..." Tim began, prompting a furrowed brow from Ziva. "Remember the discussion we had the day Dimitri got back state-side?"

"Yes. Quite clearly. You were rather adamant in saying that he is more than what we saw that day."

"I...wasn't entirely truthful in that conversation." Ziva chanced looking away from the road to throw Tim a surprised look at his admission. "I mean, what I told you was entirely the truth. I just left a few details out."

"What details?" Ziva asked as she turned her attention back on the road. "You are not one to omit details, McGee."

"I know I'm not. It's just...it's not an easy topic to talk about."

"And?" Ziva prodded.

"Dimitri and I were together for a few years before he joined the Marine Corp." Tim finally admitted.

"He is your ex?" Ziva asked with a slight tone of surprise. "I had not known that you have had relationships with both women and men."

"Yes. I, like Dimitri, am bisexual. I'm simply a bit more modest about my dating history than everyone else at the Yard."

"Understandable..." Ziva trailed off, thinking over the bit of information Tim had just given her. Tim looked at her in amusement. He had just given her a piece of information that he had kept secret from everyone at work and she barely reacted. "Does Tony know? Does _Abby_?"

"No, neither Abby nor Tony know about this. The only other person outside my and Dimitri's families who know about this is Gibbs. I told him just last night."

"What do you mean by 'this'? What is 'this'?" Ziva threw Tim a look, catching him on his wording. Tim's amused look turned into a smile. It widened into a grin when an expression of sudden clarity appeared on Ziva's face. "You and Dimitri have gotten back together."

"Yes. Yes, we have." Tim nodded. "He cornered me at my apartment after our team night, confronting me about how my reason for breaking up was no longer valid."

"You called off the relationship? Why?" Ziva slipped into interrogation mode.

"Don't Ask, Don't Tell. I didn't want him getting discharged from the Marines because of me."

"Did that policy not get repealed recently?"

"It did." Tim confirmed. "Thus Dimitri's reason for confronting me. We talked about it and decided to give it a try again."

"Hmmm..." Ziva nodded in acknowledgment. "Well, I am glad for you. You deserve to be with someone. I have but one question."

"And that is?" A wary tone sneaked its way into Tim's voice. He had known telling Ziva was going to be easier than telling any of the others since she wouldn't judge, but now he was wondering what was putting the mischievous look on her face.

"Does Dimitri approve of spectators?"

"Ziva!" Tim gave his partner a scandalized look as she exploded with laughter, leaning forward on the steering wheel. "Oh, my god, I knew Abby would ask something like that, but _you_?!"

"Come on, Tim." Ziva managed to get out in between laughs, using Tim's first name to show she was trying to be serious. "You cannot tell me you are not expecting to be asked that quite frequently. Despite how Tony jokes, you are one of the best looking men in the Yard. Made the Top Five the last time that topic made its way through the gossip vine."

"The term is 'grape vine'." Tim corrected on autopilot. "Wait, what? All you women seriously gossip about things like that?!"

"Yes." Ziva replied without regret. "Quite often."

"I can't even..." Tim shook his head, turning his attention out the front windshield. He had expected Ziva to ask multiple questions about his and Dimitri's relationship, not go straight to teasing him about it. He frowned slightly when something she said finally registered. "Wait...Top Five?"

Ziva burst into another round of laughter, her knuckles turning white from how hard she was gripping the steering wheel in her attempt to stay focused on driving.


	14. Unintended Exposure

**A/N:** Yay! Another chapter! Finals have come and gone, and I'm now on Summer vacation! I'm still on the job hunt (which will hopefully end soon), but I've still got loads of free time to write now! Free time until September! YAY!

Things are starting to get interesting here in _Future History_. The order that I'm having Tim tell the others is not quite in the order you all have been suggesting (many of you have mentioned making Tony be the last to know), but the order I'm going with fits the plot I have planned. You'll see how.

With that, enjoy!

* * *

"Holy shit! Petroviak lives _here_?!" Tony looked up at the manor with a look of appreciation, shutting Tim's passenger door with a loud thunk.

"Dimitri's _parents_ own the property, Tony, not him. He's just staying here temporarily." Tim corrected with a roll of his eyes.

"Oh, yeah. That's right. Petroviak is moving in with you, isn't he?" Tony drawled out with a smirk. Tim ignored the jab, prodding Tony to get him moving towards the main entrance.

"Now, a few rules. Flirt with Veronica at your own risk. Flirt with Elizabeth at your own risk. Flirt with _Anya _at your own risk. Flirt with Nadia and don't expect your dignity to survive the encounter." Tim raddled off. "Kate might be here with the girls, I don't know as Dimitri wasn't quite clear on that, but flirt with her and expect to be toyed with. The girls are barely legal, so you better treat them the way you treat Sarah. Have I made myself clear?"

"Sheesh, McWorried, you sound like you're sending me into battle." Tony snarked as they arrived at the door.

"Dimitri's whole family can be just as gregarious as you, Tony. You're lucky Viktor and Irene went home the other day. Veronica and Irene are thick as thieves and would gang up on you the moment you left yourself open. Mind you, Veronica has a little bit of hero worship going on at the moment but it won't take her long to get over that." Tim rang the door bell, rubbing his hands together in anticipation. He barely survived coming to the manor when he visited by himself. He wasn't entirely sure he could protect both himself and Tony at the same time.

"Consider me thoroughly warned, then." Tony commented right before the door opened, revealing one of the many staffers.

"Mr. McGee! I take it this is your friend, Agent DiNozzo?" The blonde woman grinned at Tim, clearly having been told to expect him.

"How many times must I insist you call me Tim, Beth?" Tim returned the grin. Beth was the staffer to get if you needed help pranking someone in the manor, and Tim had gone to her quite a few times in the past.

"Alright, _Tim_. Dimitri isn't back from his errands yet and I think he mentioned picking up 'his girls'. His words, not mine. As for everyone else, I think Veronica is close to pissing herself in excitement. The others are attempting to keep her calm back in the pool area. Nadia had the gardeners set up the outdoor lounge area." Beth snickered through her report, occasionally glancing at Tony with an amused expression. She obviously didn't understand the hype.

"Thanks! Umm...well, Tony and I will head straight back to put Veronica out of her misery. Sergei have any Guinness in the house?"

"Yep. I'll bring out a couple bottles for you two." Beth nodded in acknowledgment of the request, stepping aside to let Tim lead Tony through the manor to the enclosed yard. Grabbing Tony by the arm, Tim immediately headed to meet the others so Tony didn't have the chance to hit on Beth.

"Is everyone on the staff as hot as that?" Tony asked once they were out of earshot of the entrance hallway.

"I can think of a few of the handymen you wouldn't find attractive. They're a bit grandfatherly..." Tim shot back, causing Tony to shiver in horror. Insinuating that there were people on the staff that were old enough to be Tony's father was the perfect way to get Tony to change the topic, in Tim's opinion, and he wasn't afraid to use that tactic at the moment.

"You said that this Veronica is part of Baltimore Homicide?" Tim smirked at the redirect.

"Yes, she is, Tony. She was a street cop when you were still there, so she knows who you are. Your reputation does precede you in this situation." Tim turned to give Tony a significant look, since they arrived at the screen door that led out to the yard, and opened the door with a flick of his wrist before stepped through. "Oh, lovely people! We're here!"

"Tim!" Anya was the first one to react to their arrival, dashing from her seat in the lounge area to hug Tim. Tony rose his eyebrows in amusement when Tim twirled Anya around with a laugh, seeing similarities between that and how Tim interacted with Sarah. "So this is Agent Tommy?"

"Anya..." Tim growled as he held her out at arm's length, Anya smiling mischievously.

"What, Tim? Christine isn't here at the moment."

"Shut up." Tim hissed. He threw a look at Tony, warning him not to begin ranting about _Deep Six_, and spun Anya around to start marching her back to the lounge area. The others had remained seated and were waiting. Veronica wasn't exactly waiting calmly, but she still made the effort to remain in her seat. Tony followed slowly, adopting a bemused expression and wondered just what he had gotten himself in to.

"Timothy, darling, it's nice to see you were able to make it even though you caught a case." Nadia began as soon as they were within speaking distance. She stood up to give Tim a hug and pressed a kiss onto his cheek before turning to Tony. "You must be Special Agent Tony DiNozzo. Tim hasn't said much about you, but Veronica has been telling us all many stories about your time with the Baltimore PD."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Petroviak. McSilent over here hasn't said much about you, either, but your son Dimitri was waxing lyrical about you and your other children the other day when he joined us for a team night." Tony gave Nadia a smile, the type he normally reserved for when he had to impress the person he was meeting.

"Lies!" The Petroviak children whispered to each other, just barely loud enough to be heard by Nadia, Tony, and Tim.

"He's not lying, guys. Dimitri was very talkative that night." Tim threw at them with a smirk.

"I'm sure." Nadia continued as if her children and Tim hadn't spoken. "Dimitri was a Momma's Boy growing up, and that certainly hasn't changed just because he's an adult. Being my first-born has giving him a bit of a complex, as well."

"You could say that again." Tim muttered, finally causing Nadia to react. Her eyes darted over to him and she rose her eyebrows in a half-attempt to hide her amusement, knowing that Tim was getting the brunt of that particular aspect of Dimitri.

"Same could be said about you, Tim. You are, after all, your parents' first-born." Nadia commented back.

"I don't have it as bad as Dimitri, though." Tim chuckled, deciding to leave Tony alone with Nadia and headed over to one of the empty chairs. Tony let out a mildly panicked expression, giving Nadia an awkward smile before following Tim. Nadia shook her head in amusement, knowing Tony was going to fit right in, and returned to her own seat.

"So..." Veronica cut in, staring at Tim intently so he would cut to the chase and begin the introductions. Tim briefing considered stalling to greet the other Petroviak children but he figured Veronica probably wouldn't react well to that.

"Tony, this is Veronica Petroviak. Dimitri's sister-in-law through his brother, Mischa. Veronica, this is my partner Tony DiNozzo. I have talked about you two briefly with each other." Tim motioned back and forth between the two of them, leaning back in his chair because he knew Tony was going to take over.

"Hello, Detective Petroviak. I hear you have my old desk back at the precinct." Tony grinned as he sat on the empty chair next to Veronica. Veronica vibrated slightly in excitement, but managed to keep herself calm enough to speak clearly.

"Yeah, I do. Everyone says I've got the DiNozzo Luck because I haven't had a single case go cold since I was moved there. Oh, my god, you have no idea how amazing it is to finally meet you, Agent DiNozzo. I was just a beat cop when you left to join NCIS, so I didn't have any chances to meet you back then, but _everyone _who worked back then who's still around still tells stories about you and your old partner, Danny Price." A grin grew on Veronica's face as she rattled on and moved to the edge of her seat. "No one has yet to beat your record for winning the most Pool Championships. And even Sapphire asks about you once in a while!"

"Oh, really? Well, tell Sapphire that I'm only a short drive away if she really wants to see me. I do accept visitors." Tim groaned as a salacious smile grew on Tony's face. He'd have to warn Ziva that Tony's ego would need to be taken down a few notches in the next few days. When Mischa threw a look his way, all Tim could do was shrug. He _had_ warned Tony ahead of time that he flirted with the Petroviak women at his own risk. "McProbie over here really hasn't told me much about you, though. How'd you go from walking the beat to working homicide?"

"Raimey streamlined the process somewhat after you left." Veronica's enthusiasm was cut down dramatically when she was forced to bring up their former boss, a small frown growing on Tony's face as well. "When the opportunity arose for me to get off the beat, I took it. Better conditions all around, considering I had a toddler I had to worry about and a husband who was deployed."

"That's good. Not many women on the force were able to maintain families when I was there. They didn't want to take the risk." Tony looked suitably impressed, moving so he could lean back in his chair.

"If it's not too personal to ask... Why did you leave? It was clear to everyone that you loved working at the precinct." Veronica asked her own question. Tim scrunched his face up in a wince, getting curious looks from the others. He shook his head, though, leaving it to Tony to decide whether or not to share.

"Danny and I had a bit of a falling out, and Agent Gibbs gave me an offer I simply couldn't refuse." Tony replied in an even tone. "That's all. Nothing major."

"Oh." Veronica went silent, sensing there was more that Tony wasn't saying but wisely kept quiet.

"Tim, I have the Guinness you requested." Beth arrived holding two open bottles of the brew, providing a much needed distraction.

"Thank you!" Tim piped up with a smile, hoping to get rid of the tense feeling in the air. He took one of the bottles, motioning to Tony that he should take the other. "Just in time, too. I was about to get up and wander into the kitchen to get them myself."

"Cheeky." Beth replied with a deadpan face.

"You know you love me, Beth." Tim turned his smile into an innocent one, tilting his head as he gave Beth a 'How could you not love me?' expression. She rolled her eyes, turning to address Nadia.

"Cook says that he's nearly finished with the final menu for Sunday. He'll go out to get the shopping done after you approve it."

"Thank you, Beth. Please tell him I'll be in to see him sometime before dinner to see if he's done." Nadia replied. Beth nodded, sticking her tongue out at Tim before spinning on her heel and leaving.

"You certainly get along with the staff here. Or, at least, that particular member of it." Tony commented before taking a sip of his Guinness. Tim let out a laugh.

"I get along with everyone on the staff. They've all known me since my first year at MIT with Dimitri."

"Blondie there looks like she could have been attending classes with you, McBeaver." Tony pointed out. Tim rolled his eyes at the new McNickname, letting out a sigh before explaining.

"Some of the younger members of the staff are actually the children of some of the older members." Tim began, amongst the snickers and chuckles of the Petroviaks around them. "Not all of them are, mind you, but Beth is. She went to school for a degree in hospitality and was offered a job here after she graduated. Her father is one of the mechanics who makes sure there's nothing wrong with any of Senator Petroviak's personal vehicles."

"Sounds like an important job he does. Doesn't explain how you've known her that long." Tim shook his head at his partner's ignorance.

"All the Petroviak children regularly hung out with the children of the staffers, Tony. The staff is treated like family here."

"Oohhh..." Tony drew out, causing everyone else to laugh outright.

"Right." Tim said, putting his bottle of Guinness on a nearby table before standing up and turning to Mischa with a pseudo-dramatic look on his face. "I do apologize for my partner's behavior. I have yet to have him neutered."

"Apology accepted." Mischa replied in an equally dramatic tone.

"Hey!" Tony's protests barely managed to make their way through the second explosion of laughter. Tim quickly took a few steps away when Tony stood up despite the fact that they had the whole lounge area between them, mentally daring the Italian man to try something while giving him a mischievous look.

"I hear laughter! That can only mean one thing!" A new voice yelled over the noise, grabbing everyone's attention. Dimitri and a red-headed woman stood at the doors, both of them with bemused looks on their faces.

"Why do you always blame everything on me?" Tim shot back as the laughter died down and the new arrivals approached.

"Because it's Dimitri, Tim. You should know better by now." The red-head spoke before Dimitri could, giving him a smile.

"_You_ should know better than that, Kate. None of us will ever understand Dimitri completely." Tim could see a confused expression appear on Tony's face in the corner of his eye as he smiled back at Kate, making him realize that Tony's view of the patio door was blocked by the rather large sauna next to the pool. You'd have to be _inside_ the recessed lounge area to see that end of it.

"Either way, I brought Kate because I told her you had a big surprise for her." Dimitri grinned, speeding up slightly so he would reach the lounge area before Kate. Tim grew slightly confused as to what Dimitri was talking about, glancing at Kate's 'I am not sure I believe him' smile for a moment before he remembered what he and Dimitri had spoken about the other day.

"Now, Dimitri..." Tim began in a slight panic. Tony was _blocked_ from view, along with Veronica and Mischa. They didn't know Tony was there. _Dimitri_ didn't know that _Tony_ was there already to meet Veronica.

"What?" Dimitri asked in an innocent tone as he approached Tim, clearly not having noticed the other end of the lounge area yet.

"Dimitri, I..." Tim began again, trying to say that he had brought Tony with him, but Dimitri pulled him in for a kiss before he could get it all out. Part of Tim froze in horror as Kate let out an excited squeal, obviously understanding the 'surprise' Dimitri had been talking about.

"Oh, my god, you two got back together!" Kate let out. Tim's frozen state didn't go unnoticed by Dimitri, though, and he pulled away slightly to give Tim a confused look.

"Tim?" Dimitri asked in a quite tone, not understanding Tim's horrified expression. Tim's eyes immediately darted over to where Tony was standing in utter shock, the shatter of Tony's dropped Guinness bottle finally grabbing Dimitri and Kate's attention. It didn't take Dimitri long to realize what he just inadvertently did. He barely managed to whisper, "Oh, my god, Tim. I'm so sorry."

"Tony." Tim moved away from Dimitri, hoping to explain everything as quickly as possible. Everyone's previous joy from Tim and Mischa's antics was quickly squashed as they watched Tim approach his partner. "I...I...I can explain."

"Explain? _Explain_?" Tony hissed, taking a step back. Tim stopped in his approach, desperately trying to force down the tears that were beginning to form in his eyes. This was _not_ how he wanted Tony to find out and now it looked like it was going to do a lot more damage than good. "What is there to explain, Tim? You've been keeping secrets!"

"I know I have." Tim winced at Tony's use of his first name. "But I..."

"What ever happened to _trusting_ each other?" Tony continued on, causing another wince.

"I know." Tim dared to take another couple steps towards Tony. He could sense that Dimitri really wanted to insert himself into the situation but wouldn't because that would make things even worse.

"Ever since _Somalia_ we agreed that we wouldn't keep things from each other. We wouldn't keep _major _things from each other. I think this qualifies as major!"

"Tony, I know!"

"Why would you keep something like this a secret, Tim? Are you distancing yourself from the team or something?" Disbelief mixed in with the expression of anger on Tony's face, making him somewhat horrified over his own suggestion.

"God, no! I'm not doing anything like that, Tony! Gibbs and Ziva know!"

"Gibbs and Ziva know already?! You told _Gibbs_ and _Ziva_ first?! I can't believe you!" Tony's arms flung around a bit as he swung at the air in a physical release of his anger. Everyone's heads went back and forth, many of them becoming uncomfortable with the direction the argument was taking.

"I told Ziva _yesterday_ and Gibbs the night before! It's not like they've known for long!" Tim defended himself. "I planned on telling you today!"

"Ok, great. So I've been utterly _pissed_ at your precious Gunny for the past few days and only now am I finding out that it was basically all for nothing!"

"I...what?" Confusion slipped onto Tim's face. Tony's comment made absolutely no sense to him. "What?"

"In case it missed your observation, McGee," Tony began with a tone of heavy sarcasm. "I am rather protective of Ziva and Abby. Especially when it comes to newcomers. It is one thing to have some guy talking them up thinking he deserves their attention, but it is something else entirely when the guy in question is already in a relationship and means nothing by it!"

Tim's jaw dropped open in utter disbelief of what Tony just shrieked at him. There were quite a few reasons for Tony's anger weaved into everything he said over the last several moments, making Tim unsure of where to start.

"I...I...Tony, if you were disturbed by the amount of flirting Dimitri did with the girls then why didn't you say anything?" That seemed like the safest option to Tim. He _had_ known just how protective Tony could get over everyone on the team, including Gibbs, but he hadn't thought it had gotten that bad with Dimitri.

"You said nothing! You didn't even bat an eyelash! I was putting my trust in you to say something if he crossed a line since _you _are the one who knows him!" Tony panted as he took a moment to catch his breath. "You know how I get with you all. I had absolutely no reason to think you had no idea what was going through my head."

"Tony, I'm sorry, I was more focused on making sure Dimitri didn't say anything damning than reining in his flirting. _All _of you were essentially on a fact-finding mission and I wasn't about to let the four of you gang up on me all at once." Tim shook slightly from the adrenaline coursing through him, feeling a bit dazed by how quickly the 'discussion' heated up and burned out. "I...you're not disgusted by the fact that I'm in a relationship with a man?"

"Why the _hell_ would I be? Tim, I tongued a male-to-female transsexual. You where _there_. I may have been absolutely horrified by the fact that I made out with the person who killed Pacci, but not _once_ did I ever express that I was disgusted by the fact that Amanda Reed used to be Hamilton Voss."

"True..." Tim trailed off. Kate Todd might have enjoyed poking fun at Tony for it, but Tony never retaliated. "You're right and wrong, by the way. Dimitri flirts with _everyone_, which is why I didn't react to him flirting with Abby and Ziva, but we didn't actually get back together until the next morning. He...he showed up at my apartment later that night with some cheesy movie quote that I didn't even understand with the intention of confronting about why I broke it off in the first place."

"I'm...not even going to go on about how you didn't understand a movie reference after all the years we've worked together." Tony began with a small scoff of minor disappointment at the most trivial part of Tim's statement. "You breaking it off means you two were together once before. Why'd you break it off?"

"Don't Ask, Don't Tell, Tony. Dimitri's a Marine, remember?" Tim walked back over to the table to collect his bottle of Guinness, taking a long swig of it. Everyone's uneasiness slowly seeped away into awkwardness, no one really knowing how to inject themselves in after Tim and Tony's argument. "And I mean it. I _did_ intend to tell you today about how I swing both ways, that Dimitri and I used to be in a relationship, and that he and I decided to get back together. I only told Gibbs and Ziva first because Sarah suggested it."

"Does Abby know?" Was Tony's only response to that. Tim let out a dry laugh.

"No. And, to tell you the truth, I am absolutely dreading the time when I do tell her. At this rate, Jimmy will know before she does."

"I highly suggest you _don't_ tell the Autopsy Gremlin before Abby if you intend to live long enough to retire." Tony warned him. "Just a suggestion, though."

"I know..." Tim let out a heavy sigh, finally looking back at Dimitri once more since his arrival before turning his full attention to Kate. "Kate, this is my partner, Special Agent Tony DiNozzo. I know I've mentioned him to you a few times. Tony, this is Kate Brenton. Dimitri's ex-wife and an old friend of mine from my college years. She's a lawyer."

"Nice to meet you, Ms. Brenton. I feel obligated to point out that our team has rules about interacting with lawyers, but I have a feeling McShaky told you about them already." Tony nodded towards Kate since they were too far apart to shake hands.

"Rule 13: Never, ever involve a lawyer. I always thought it was a bullshit rule and encourage Tim to break it." Kate smirked slightly. Tim took another sip of his Guinness, wondering how he managed to go through so much of the bottle so quickly. He took another sip when Tony's attention moved from Kate to Dimitri.

"You hurt him, I kill you. This is your only warning." Tony smiled pleasantly, as if he was commenting about the weather.

"If that's your big brother speech, DiNozzo, I can tell you right now that you are seriously lacking." Dimitri insisted.

"Ha." Tim let out a single laugh before draining the rest of his beer and heading towards the patio doors. "I need another drink."


End file.
